When thermometers in Lahore soared to 48 degrees Celsius last May, it led to shutdowns across the region. From Dhaka to Manila, some 128 million Asian students find themselves locked out of classrooms, in what UNICEF calls an unprecedented combination of climate and education crises. The numbers published in a new report are alarming: Globally, one in seven students saw their education disrupted by weather events. Most were in Asia. This should concern everyone. Education has long been the subcontinent’s preferred path out of poverty. Now nature is blocking the exit. Three-quarters of affected learners live in low- and lower-middle-income countries, where school infrastructure is struggling to serve a growing population. When temperatures soar, these schools become literal hothouses, forcing officials to choose between risking heat stroke and halting classes.
The timing is particularly sad. The post-Covid learning crisis, where two-thirds of children cannot read competently by age 10, is compounded by these climate-induced barriers. More worryingly, the disruption is fueling child marriage across South Asia, as desperate families seek economic relief during climate emergencies. April 2024 marked the peak of this education exodus, with heat waves affecting 118 million children in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, the Philippines and Thailand. By September, when schools reopened, at least 18 countries had suspended classes. The pattern shows that climate disruptions are no longer seasonal inconveniences but structural challenges for the education system. Solving this requires more than air conditioning. Climate resilient architecture, robust remote learning systems and teacher training in climate education are essential. Yet education is missing from climate finance discussions. Fortunately, some countries are taking note: India has trained 121,000 teachers in climate education, while Vietnam is exploring solar power for 50,000 schools in 63 provinces. The math is simple: Asia’s ‘demographic dividend’ assumes working schools. Without taking action to climate-proof classrooms, those dividends risk becoming debt. Asia’s Ministry of Education continues to heat up.
Published in Dawn on January 27, 2025.
