Extreme weather conditions last year disrupted the education of nearly 33 million children in Bangladesh, according to a report by UNICEF, the United Nations children’s agency.
The report, titled “Learning Interrupted: A Global Snapshot of Climate-Related School Disruption in 2024,” states that extreme weather events such as heatwaves, cyclones, floods, and droughts disrupted the education of at least 247 million children in 77 countries worldwide. South Asia was the worst affected region.
In April and May last year, a heatwave posed a risk of dehydration and heatstroke to children, resulting in schools across the country being closed for two weeks. Additionally, Cyclone Remal and severe floods in June caused repeated school closures in various districts, further disrupting education.
The report mentions that 18.4 million people across the country were affected by floods, including 7 million children. Sylhet was the worst affected by the floods, with significant damage to infrastructure, leading to more than 600,000 students dropping out of school.
According to UNICEF estimates, children in the Sylhet region lost an average of eight weeks of schooling due to climate-related events last year, while children in Khulna, Chattogram, and Rangpur lost six weeks.
Rana Flowers, UNICEF’s representative in Bangladesh, said, “The climate crisis is causing extreme weather events that are impacting children’s education in Bangladesh and depriving them of their right to learn.”
She added that extreme temperatures and other climate-related disasters not only damage schools but also affect students’ memory, mental, and physical health. Prolonged school closures increase the risk of children dropping out, and economic pressures on families also increase the risk of child marriage for adolescent girls.
The report notes that Bangladesh is among the top 10 countries with the highest rates of child marriage globally.
According to UNICEF’s Children’s Climate Risk Index, Bangladeshi children are already among the most at-risk in the world due to climate and environmental hazards. These disasters further exacerbate “learning poverty” in the country, where one in two children cannot read at the appropriate grade level, and two-thirds cannot perform basic numeracy after completing primary education.
The report also states that schools and education systems are not adequately equipped to protect students from these adversities. Furthermore, climate-focused financial investment in education is significantly low.
The report calls on international climate finance institutions, donor agencies, the private sector, and the interim government of Bangladesh to prioritise the needs of children in policies and plans.