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As heatwaves scorch classrooms, floods wash away infrastructure, and smog chokes our cities, climate change is no longer a future threat but a frequent disruptor of education.
Image Source: Getty
With the onset of April, several states in India, including Odisha, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, have already moved schools to early morning hours. States such as Chhattisgarh and West Bengal have decided to break early for summer vacations to protect children from excessive heat. Besides school closures, the climate crisis interrupts education in many ways: absenteeism due to pollution-related illnesses, floods-related infrastructure damage, and reduced cognitive performance due to heat. Together, these factors create an environment of compromised safety and mental well-being, with the heaviest burden falling on the most vulnerable children.
UNICEF estimates that climate shocks affected schooling for at least 242 million children in 2024. The crisis was graver in South Asia, where 128 million students were affected. In India, 54.8 million children were affected by the heat wave alone. The country is highly vulnerable to climate shocks, ranking at 26 out of 163 in the UNICEF Children’s Climate Risk Index.
India is facing escalating climate disruptions, and with an education system this vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as heatwaves, floods, and air pollution are disrupting learning and exacerbating educational inequalities.
The Delhi-NCR region witnesses severe smog and air pollution, particularly in winters, leading to school shutdowns for several weeks.
Under the influence of heatwaves, extended summer vacations were announced last year as well, by states, including Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. On the other hand, the Delhi-NCR region witnesses severe smog and air pollution, particularly in winters, leading to school shutdowns for several weeks. Flooding often leads to school closures in northeastern states like Meghalaya and Assam, as well as southern states like Karnataka. While comprehensive national statistics on the number of schools damaged by floods in India each year and the time taken to make them functional again are not readily available, several state-level reports indicate significant impacts on educational infrastructure due to flooding. For instance, the 2022 Karnataka floods damaged 6,998 primary schools and anganwadis.. Community-based studies, revealing their lasting impacts on children, highlighted that even after floods, children could not return to schools due to loss of books, uniforms, certificates, and the need to help supplement lost family income.
According to the World Bank, a 10-year-old child in 2024 is expected to face significantly more climate-induced disasters over their lifetime than her counterpart in 1970— twice as many wildfires and tropical storms, three times as many river floods, four times the number of crop failures, and five times as many droughts, if global temperatures rise by 3°C.
Beyond immediate disruptions, climate change poses long-term risks to educational outcomes. For example, on days of deluge, students in flood-affected areas require much more time travelling from home to school, increasing absenteeism by a high proportion. Water-borne diseases, which rise during floods, also contribute to this learning loss (See figure 1, below).
Source: Prepared by the author, with the help of digital tools.
Hot days and days with poor air quality lower children’s attention, memory retention, cognition, and academic performance. Studies from multiple countries, such as India, Brazil, and China, show a direct association between higher particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) with lower test scores. The World Bank estimates that students living in the hottest 10 percent of Brazilian municipalities lose nearly 1 percent of learning annually due to heat exposure alone. Evidence in India also shows air pollution’s negative impact on cognitive abilities and reduced levels of reading and maths outcomes.
The most vulnerable children, including girls, children with disabilities, those belonging to marginalised socio-economic families or living in rural, remote areas or urban slums, are also the most affected ones. Besides learning loss, they also suffer due to disruption in other welfare schemes, like the school mid-day meals. Evidence shows that school meal programmes translate into academic achievement (such as better maths or reading scores), only if children receive them continuously and for a prolonged period.
Although the impacts of climate change on education are manifold, climate policymaking largely overlooks it. India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), introduced in 2008, does not include education as a core area of focus. Likewise, although the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 promotes environmental education, it does not sufficiently address the climate vulnerabilities that threaten the education system. At the state level, responses tend to be reactive, such as extending holidays or moving classes online after extreme weather events, rather than proactive measures to build long-term resilience.
Although the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 promotes environmental education, it does not sufficiently address the climate vulnerabilities that threaten the education system.
Governments must take five clear steps to protect education systems from climate disruptions.. First, they must systematically collect and analyse data on how climate events affect both direct and indirect learning outcomes, recognising that much of this impact remains under-researched and varies by region. This evidence base will support more informed, locally appropriate policies. Second, investing in climate-resilient infrastructure, such as disaster-resistant school buildings, solar-powered facilities, and proper ventilation, is critical for minimising disruptions. Third, ensure learning continuity during climate emergencies through adaptable academic calendars, revised school hours, and blended learning methods through digital platforms, television and radio programmes, and neighbourhood learning centres. Fourth, integrate climate education into the curriculum to build student awareness and resilience. This requires scaling teacher training programmes on climate action and resilience, such as UNICEF’s project in India in partnership with the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). Lastly, increased funding and multi-sectoral partnerships—with government, NGOs, and the private sector—are vital for scaling sustainable and innovative solutions.
With nearly a third of India’s population below 18 and highly exposed to climate risks, the urgency to act is clear. Without decisive steps, millions of children face disrupted education and diminished futures. Education, therefore, must become a central pillar of climate policy.
Arpan Tulsyan is a Senior Fellow at the Centre for New Economic Diplomacy, Observer Research Foundation.
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Arpan Tulsyan is a Senior Fellow at ORF’s Centre for New Economic Diplomacy (CNED). With 16 years of experience in development research and policy advocacy, Arpan ...
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