400 Million Students Affected by Climate-related closure — World Bank Report

A World Bank report revealed that over 400 million students have been affected by climate-related school closures globally, emphasizing the need for climate-adaptive education systems and increased investment in climate education.

A World Bank report, titled “Choosing Our Future: Education for Climate Action,” revealed that over 400 million students globally have been impacted by climate-related school closures between 2022 and 2024.

The report emphasized that, for less than $20 per student, schools could adapt to minimize learning losses caused by climate disruptions. It highlighted how extreme weather events like heatwaves, floods, storms, and droughts are leading to widespread school closures, exacerbating educational disparities, especially in low-income countries.

The report stressed that climate-related closures, although frequent, often go untracked, causing significant learning losses. It urged governments to harness education for climate action by improving foundational skills, mainstreaming climate education, and fostering innovation in tertiary education to promote sustainable practices.

“Education is a key tool for climate action,” the report noted, explaining that better-educated individuals are more resilient, adaptable, and equipped for green jobs and climate solutions. However, it criticized the global climate agenda for overlooking education, with little climate finance directed toward this crucial area.

The report further stated that climate change itself threatens education, particularly in low-income countries, where prolonged closures could severely impact future earnings and productivity, deepening global inequalities.

It highlighted the economic toll of climate change and stressed that education is key to bridging the gaps in information, skills, and knowledge that slow climate action. A crucial finding was that an additional year of education increases climate awareness by 8.6%.

The report also outlined the need for green skills across technical, STEM, and socio-emotional sectors, emphasizing that any job can become greener with the right set of skills, whether for new or existing jobs.

In a related finding, Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported that students in some regions missed up to 53 school days due to flooding between July and October 2022. Over 1.3 million Nigerians were affected by floods, with severely impacted states including Bayelsa, Delta, Anambra, Kogi, Nasarawa, and Jigawa. The NBS report detailed that some households in these areas experienced flooding for over 32 days.

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SOURCES: ALLSCHOOL, VANGUARD