More Than Half of Pakistan's School-Age Children Will be Out of School Due to Extreme Heat – Save the Children

ISLAMABAD, (May 23, 2024) – More than half of Pakistan's school-age children – about 26 million - will be locked out of classrooms for a week due to an ongoing heat wave, the latest in a string of countries to shut down education due to climate extremes, Save the Children said.

At least 26 million^[1] children in Pakistan's most populous province, Punjab - or 52 percent of the country's total number of pupils in pre-primary, primary and secondary education – will be out of school from May 25-31.

Punjab's education department said a surge in temperatures and a prolonged heat wave in the province had prompted the authorities to shut all schools but added that schools will be 'allowed to conduct examinations as scheduled'.

According to Pakistan's Meteorological Department, temperatures in parts of the north and northwest of Pakistan will be 39-42°F (4-6 °C) 'higher than normal' for the rest of the week. ^[2]

Pakistan is the latest in a string of countries to shut schools because of extreme heat. Bangladesh and the Philippines also closed schools last month as the mercury soared, while in South Sudan, schools were shut for two weeks.

Climate and environmental threats are responsible for the disruption of the education of over 37 million children each year^[3], and heat significantly impacts education, with students showing lower levels of achievement during hot school years.

In East Asia and the Pacific, around 243 million children are exposed to hotter and longer heatwaves^[4], putting their health and their education at risk.

Pakistan faces warming rates considerably above the global average, with a potential rise of 34-40 °F (1.3°C–4.9°C) by the 2090s.^[5] The frequency of extreme climate events in Pakistan is projected to increase as well, putting strain on urban dwellers and outdoor laborers, who are at increased risk of heat-related sickness and even death.

Rose*, 12, who studies at a Save the Children-supported child-friendly space in Walidad Chandio, Sindh province, said:

"We came to the Save the Children-supported child-friendly space in the morning, and our teachers oriented all the children on the hot weather and how to save ourselves in this heat. They also told us to seek shelter and drink a lot of water and not to play during the afternoon in open spaces exposed to sunlight."

Muhammad Khuram Gondal, Save the Children's Country Director in Pakistan, said:

"Prolonged exposure to intense heat impacts children's ability to learn and to concentrate, and this puts their education at risk. Excess heat is also potentially lethal to children. We live at a time when the effect of climate change is all around us, and it is undeniable that we need immediate and long-term solutions and support from the international community and world governments to effectively mitigate climate change for now and for future generations."

In Sindh province, Save the Children, in collaboration with the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Sindh, has initiated a heatwave emergency response to raise awareness among communities, including children, about precautions to take during the heatwave.

Save the Children is also leading a social media campaign to raise awareness about the risks associated with extreme heat.

As of April 30, 2024, Save the Children has provided humanitarian assistance to at least 1 million people, including more than 520,000 children, through life-saving activities in districts affected by the climate crisis.

Save the Children has been working in Pakistan since 1979 and has reached at least 14 million beneficiaries, including children, through programs in health and nutrition, education, child protection, livelihoods and through our humanitarian response programs.

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NOTES

*Name changed to protect anonymity.

*50 million children enrolled in Pakistan's pre-primary, primary, middle school and secondary education. Source: https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/pakistan-education (2021-2023 economic survey).

1. https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/endpovertyinsouthasia/bringing-13-million-more-children-school-lessons-punjab
2. Government of the Punjab School Education Department notification May 21.
3. Pakistan Metrological Department: https://twitter.com/pmdgov
4. https://resourcecentre.savethechildren.net/pdf/born-into-the-climate-crisis.pdf/
5. UNICEF
6. World Bank Pakistan country profile.