Africa: 'The Water Comes Up to Our Knees' - Climate Hazards Shut Millions of Children Out of School in 2025
UNICEF said storms, floods and heatwaves affected 109 million students and raised dropout risks, with three-quarters of those hit in poorer countries.
- A new UNICEF report released Wednesday states climate hazards disrupted schooling for an estimated 171 million students in 2025, representing roughly one in ten students worldwide. Storms were the most common cause of disruptions, affecting 109 million students, followed by floods and heatwaves.
- Severe weather events caused widespread school closures across regions. In Pakistan, monsoon floods in August delayed school returns for over 28 million students, while a Khamsin in Egypt prompted a nationwide class suspension affecting another 28 million students.
- In Papua New Guinea, 16-year-old Taudibura explained floodwaters contaminating pit toilets make school unsafe: "Usually, the water comes up to our knees and floods the pit toilets, then it becomes unhealthy for us to stay at school." Girls face heightened vulnerability, often assigned extra caregiving duties when infrastructure fails.
- UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell stressed that climate hazards "destroy schools, uproot families, and push the most vulnerable children, especially girls, out of the classroom for good." Students experiencing these disruptions could cumulatively lose at least $200 billion in lifetime earnings.
- With extreme weather risks expected to rise in coming months, UNICEF urges governments worldwide to invest in climate-resilient educational infrastructure. Such action is necessary "to protect education for children today and for future generations," the report states.
22 Articles
22 Articles
UNICEF: Climate risks disrupted education for 171 million children in 2025
New York, Sept. 11 (SANA) More than 171 million students worldwide experienced disruptions to their education in 2025 due to climate-related hazards, UNICEF said Friday, warning that extreme weather is increasingly threatening children’s access to learning.According to a UNICEF report published on the United Nations website, climate-related disruptions affected about one in 10 students from pre-primary through secondary education.The impact went…
Anadolu Ajansı
anews.com.trStorms, floods, heat waves caused school closures, class suspensions, other disruptions worldwide
Storms were the most common reason why students could not learn as usual in 2025, but floods and heat waves also upset the curriculum.
Africa: 'The Water Comes Up to Our Knees' - Climate Hazards Shut Millions of Children Out of School in 2025
When the creek beside Taudibura Garo's school in Papua New Guinea floods, the water doesn't stop at the gate. It rises through the pit toilets - making the school unsafe - sending the 16-year-old and her classmates home without being able to finish.
171m students’ schooling disrupted by climate hazards: UNICEF
NEW YORK (GNP): More than 171 million students globally – or 1 in 10 – from pre-primary to upper secondary age had their schooling disrupted by climate hazards in 2025, according to a new analysis released by UNICEF today. Learning Interrupted: Global Snapshot of Climate-Related School Disruptions in 2025 analyses data from 106 countries or […]
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