It is back-to-school week in several European and African countries. On this occasion, the World Bank is warning about the effects of climate change on education. According to a report published on Wednesday, September 4, 2024, between January 2022 and June 2024, 404 million students saw the school doors close – temporarily – due to floods, storms or heat waves.
On average, 11 days of education are lost each year in schools affected by extreme weather events. But the impact is very uneven. Low-income countries are particularly exposed. Students in affected schools lose an average of 18 days of schooling, compared to just over 2.4 in rich countries.
A duration of 18 days represents “ 10% of a school year ” and that is far from negligible. That is the time it takes ” to learn two-digit addition with carryover “, says Shwetlena Sabarwal, lead author of the report, who believes that it is necessary to ” take these closures very seriously “. Especially since ” We learned during the Covid-19 pandemic that students have a hard time catching up when they miss classes ».
Half a school year
The report also suggests developing distance learning systems and training teachers. This comes at a cost: between $18.5 and $102 per student. However, only 1.5% of climate finance went to the education sector in 2021.
The World Bank report also highlights that raising awareness among children about climate change can have an impact as early as ” Today “They would be good messengers to influence their parents.
- RFI
