‘The water comes up to our knees’: Climate hazards shut millions of children out of school in 2025

Climate Emergencies Kept 171 Million Students Out of Class in 2025

Provpnmatrix.com – Extreme weather interrupted the education of an estimated 171 million children and adolescents worldwide during 2025, exposing how vulnerable school systems remain when storms, floods and dangerous heat strike. The figure represents about one in every 10 students, spanning early childhood education through secondary school.

For many young people, the disruption was not limited to a cancelled day of lessons. Climate hazards damaged classrooms and sanitation facilities, forced temporary closures, reduced teaching hours and pushed some schools toward remote learning arrangements that were not equally accessible to every family. Attendance fell in affected communities, while the risk of permanent school dropout increased.

A school day cut short by floodwater

At Taudibura Garo’s school in Papua New Guinea, flooding from a nearby creek can make the campus unsafe. Water does not remain outside the school grounds; it reaches the pit toilets, creating unhealthy conditions and leaving students unable to stay for their classes.

The 16-year-old is among the students confronting increasingly severe weather conditions. A particularly strong El Niño pattern is expected to raise the likelihood of extreme weather in the coming months, adding to concerns for communities already dealing with flooding and other climate pressures.

“Usually, the water comes up to our knees and floods the pit toilets, then it becomes unhealthy for us to stay at school, and we miss the lessons we are supposed to learn,” she explained.

Her experience illustrates why the impact of climate hazards cannot be measured only by the number of schools physically damaged. A school may still be standing, yet become unusable because access routes are flooded, toilets are contaminated, families have been displaced or teachers and pupils cannot safely travel there.

Storms caused the largest share of disruptions

Storms were the leading cause of education interruptions in 2025, affecting 109 million students. Flooding and heatwaves followed as major drivers of missed learning. These events can unfold very differently from place to place, but the outcome is often similar: children lose time in the classroom precisely when continuity matters most.

The burden was especially concentrated in countries with fewer resources to protect learning during emergencies. Three quarters of affected students lived in low-income and lower-middle-income countries, where education systems can have limited capacity to repair facilities quickly, maintain safe water and sanitation, or offer alternatives when school buildings close.

Pakistan was among the countries most severely affected. Major monsoon flooding in August delayed the start of the school term for more than 28 million students, making it one of the biggest climate-linked education disruptions recorded during the year. In Egypt, more than 28 million students were affected when a powerful Khamsin wind and dust storm led to a one-day nationwide school closure in April.

These examples show the scale of the challenge. A closure lasting only one day can affect millions when it occurs across an entire national school system. Longer disruptions, particularly in places repeatedly hit by floods or storms, can compound learning losses and make it harder for students to return and keep up.

Girls face heightened barriers to returning

Climate-related school closures can deepen existing inequalities, particularly for girls. Evidence highlighted in the UNICEF report shows that girls are more likely than boys to leave school permanently after climate hazards interrupt education.

When homes, schools or sanitation systems are damaged, families may face new demands for caregiving and water collection. Loss of household income and displacement can intensify those pressures. In some cases, climate-related hardship also raises the risk of child marriage, which can make a return to education far more difficult once schools reopen.

The consequences extend beyond an interrupted academic calendar. Education provides stability, social connection and access to support during crises. When it disappears for prolonged periods, children who were already at risk of exclusion can become even harder to reach.

“For millions of children, climate hazards do more than disrupt lessons, they destroy schools, uproot families, and push the most vulnerable children, especially girls, out of the classroom for good,” stressed UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.

The economic cost of lost learning

The effects of disrupted schooling can continue long after floodwater recedes or a storm has passed. Students whose education was interrupted by climate events in 2025 could collectively forgo at least $200 billion in lifetime earnings if they do not receive sufficient support. Reduced learning and higher dropout rates can also weaken workforce productivity, restrain economic growth and make poverty reduction more difficult.

That makes climate-resilient education an issue not only for schools, but for families, communities and national economies. Safe classrooms, reliable sanitation, plans for continuity of teaching and the ability to restore learning quickly after an emergency are all part of protecting children’s futures.

UNICEF is urging governments to increase investment in education systems and infrastructure that can withstand climate shocks. The central aim is to ensure that children can continue learning during emergencies and return to safe classrooms as quickly as possible afterward.

For students such as Taudibura, that goal is immediate and practical: a school environment where floodwater does not force children to choose between their health and the lessons they need.