🌱 How Climate Change Is Disrupting Pakistan’s Schools and Futures 🔥📚

In the dusty outskirts of Sukkur, children attend school under the shade of a tree. In Lahore, students drip with sweat in stifling classrooms, while others faint from heat or suffer nosebleeds. Across Pakistan, schools are closing—not for holidays, but for survival. As climate change accelerates, its most devastating, long-term impact may not be infrastructure damage or economic losses, but the erosion of education.

Table of Contents

• Extreme Weather, Empty Classrooms

• The Physical and Cognitive Toll on Students

• A System Already Under Strain

• One Size Doesn’t Fit All: The Problem with Central …

• Infrastructure: A Missing Piece of the Puzzle

• The Cost of Inaction

• What Needs to Change

  • 1. Localize School Decision-Making

  • 2. Build Climate-Resilient Infrastructure

  • 3. Revamp Assessment Models

  • 4. Raise Awareness and Train Educators

• Conclusion

• FAQs

Extreme Weather, Empty Classrooms

Pakistan is on the frontlines of the global climate emergency. From lethal heatwaves and smog-choked cities to winter cold snaps, extreme weather now regularly disrupts the school calendar. In May 2024, temperatures soared to 45°C in parts of Punjab—seven degrees above seasonal norms—prompting authorities to shut down schools early. November brought smog so dense it rendered urban air unbreathable. January’s biting cold forced additional closures.

These are not isolated events. In just one academic year, students lost at least seven weeks of schooling to weather-related closures. Political unrest and large public events like cricket matches add even more disruption.

The Physical and Cognitive Toll on Students

For the students who do make it to school, the experience is increasingly harsh. Classrooms are often overcrowded, poorly ventilated, and lack air conditioning or heating. A 17-year-old student from Lahore likened the heat inside his classroom to sitting in a “brick kiln.” Another described sweating so profusely during a power outage that drops fell onto her desk. These conditions are more than uncomfortable—they are unsafe and damaging.

Studies have shown that exposure to extreme heat and air pollution affects children's ability to concentrate, retain information, and maintain physical well-being. Education activist Baela Raza Jamil warns that extended exposure could lead to “major cognitive challenges,” especially for children from poorer backgrounds who lack access to cooling or healthcare.

A System Already Under Strain

Even before climate pressures intensified, Pakistan faced an education crisis. Over 26 million school-aged children are out of school, and 65% of those enrolled cannot read age-appropriate material by age 10. Climate change is compounding this existing vulnerability, disproportionately affecting rural, low-income communities with the fewest resources to adapt.

One Size Doesn’t Fit All: The Problem with Centralized Closures

School closures in Pakistan are often dictated at the provincial level, applying uniformly across regions regardless of local conditions or infrastructure. This means a school in a smog-filled city and another in a cleaner rural area may both be closed, or remain open, even when local conditions vary dramatically.

Teachers and education experts are calling for decentralized, flexible school schedules. Options being proposed include localized academic calendars, split school days to avoid midday heat, and even Saturday classes to recover lost time.

Infrastructure: A Missing Piece of the Puzzle

To adapt, schools need more than scheduling tweaks—they need climate-resilient infrastructure. Many schools in Pakistan still operate without basic amenities. Although international development agencies have equipped some schools with solar panels and insulation, the vast majority of Pakistan’s 250,000 schools remain vulnerable.

In Sindh, the World Bank is helping construct hundreds of elevated, solar-powered, flood-resistant schools, offering a glimpse of what climate-smart education might look like. But scaling this nationwide requires significant political will and financial investment.

The Cost of Inaction

The consequences of continued disruption are stark. As absenteeism grows, learning outcomes plummet, and students—particularly girls and children in marginalized areas—risk dropping out entirely. “Don’t expect better scientists from Pakistan in the coming years,” warned a private school administrator in Karachi, echoing a grim forecast for the country’s development trajectory.

Climate change threatens to rob an entire generation not just of comfort, but of opportunity. If schools cannot adapt, the gap between Pakistan’s potential and its reality will only widen.

What Needs to Change

To build a more resilient education system, Pakistan must act decisively:

1. Localize School Decision-Making

Allow schools or districts to adjust schedules and closures based on real-time conditions, rather than broad provincial mandates.

2. Build Climate-Resilient Infrastructure

Prioritize ventilation, cooling, heating, and clean energy in school construction and renovation efforts.

3. Revamp Assessment Models

Shift away from year-end exams held during peak heat in May. Introduce regular, smaller assessments spread throughout the year.

4. Raise Awareness and Train Educators

Equip teachers, students, and administrators with knowledge and tools to respond to extreme weather safely and effectively.

Conclusion

Climate change isn’t a future threat—it’s a present crisis disrupting Pakistan’s classrooms. But education is also one of the most powerful tools for adaptation. By investing in climate-resilient schools and flexible policies, Pakistan can protect not just its children’s safety, but their dreams and futures.

FAQs

How is climate change affecting education in Pakistan?

Climate change is causing frequent school closures in Pakistan due to extreme heatwaves, toxic smog, and cold spells. These disruptions significantly reduce learning time and harm student performance and well-being.

Which provinces in Pakistan are most affected by climate-related school closures?

Provinces like Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are all affected, though the severity varies. Punjab faces extreme heat and smog, Sindh deals with rising temperatures and infrastructure challenges, while Balochistan often begins summer breaks early due to intense heat.

What are the biggest challenges for students during extreme weather events?

Students struggle with health issues like heat exhaustion, dehydration, and respiratory problems. Many classrooms lack basic facilities such as fans, air conditioning, or proper ventilation, making learning unsafe and uncomfortable.

How many children in Pakistan are currently out of school?

Over 26 million school-aged children are out of school in Pakistan, one of the highest numbers globally.

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