‘The water is up to our knees’: Climate dangers will keep millions of children out of school by 2025

He is one of an estimated 171 million students worldwide whose education is being disrupted by climate hazards by 2025, according to the new UNICEF report released on Wednesday: that’s roughly one in ten students, from kindergarten through the end of high school.

Storms are the most common cause of disruption – affecting 109 million students – followed by floods and heat waves.

They lead to classes suspended, schools damaged, the shift to distance learning, shortening instructional time, reducing school attendance and increasing the risk of dropping out for millions.

Taudibura and his classmates at Papua New Guinea facing more extreme weather this year. The El Niño climate pattern, which is stronger than before, is expected to increase the risk of extreme weather in the coming months.

“Usually the water is knee-deep and floods the toilets, then it becomes unhealthy for us to go to school, and we miss out on the lessons we should be getting,” he explained.

The poorest countries are the ones most affected

Although students at all income levels are impacted by these disruptions, three-quarters of those affected live in low- and lower-middle-income countries, according to UNICEF, as education systems in these countries often lack the resources needed to maintain learning during climate change-related emergencies.

For example, in Pakistan – one of the most affected countries in the study – severe monsoon flooding in August delayed the return of 28 million students to school, making it one of the largest climate-related educational disruptions recorded in 2025.

Likewise in Egyptthe devastating Khamsin (wind and dust) storm caused the nationwide suspension of classes for one day in April, which also affected more than 28 million students.

Girls are most vulnerable

The report found that girls were more likely than boys to drop out of school when climate hazards disrupted or closed schools.

When schools and sanitation facilities are damaged, and families are displaced and lose income, girls tend to be given additional responsibilities in caring for children and collecting water.

This Pressure can also increase the risk of being forced into child marriagemaking it very difficult for girls to return to school once schools reopen.

Long term consequences

“For millions of children, climate hazards are not only disrupting learning, they are destroying schools, uprooting families, and pushing the most vulnerable children, especially girls, out of the classroom for good,” stressed UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.

Unless clear action is taken to help them, students will face climate change-related school disruptions by 2025 could cumulatively lose at least $200 billion in lifetime revenueaccording to the report.

On a macro scale, learning loss and high school dropout rates can reduce labor productivity, slow economic growth, and make it difficult for countries to eradicate poverty.

UNICEF now calls on governments around the world to invest more in climate-resilient education systems and infrastructure “to protect education for today’s children and future generations,” in Ms. Russell.