Children in Pakistan are losing weeks of schooling each year due to climate change-induced extreme weather, sparking urgent calls for a fundamental rethinking of academic calendars. Intense heat, noxious smog, and uncharacteristic cold snaps have all led to school closures. These closures are intended to shield children from health risks in classrooms that are frequently overcrowded and lack essential cooling, heating, or ventilation systems.
In May, a nationwide heatwave saw temperatures soar up to seven degrees Celsius above normal, reaching 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) in Punjab, prompting several provinces to reduce school hours or initiate summer holidays early. “The class becomes so hot that it feels like we are sitting in a brick kiln,” said 17-year-old Hafiz Ehtesham outside an inner-city Lahore school. “I don’t even want to come to school.”
Pakistan is among the nations most susceptible to climate change, possessing limited resources for adaptation. Extreme weather is exacerbating an existing education crisis primarily driven by issues of access and poverty. “Soon we will have major cognitive challenges because students are being impacted by extreme heat and extreme smog over long periods of time,” stated Lahore-based education activist Baela Raza Jamil. “The poorest are most vulnerable. But climate change is indeed a great leveller and the urban middle class is also affected.”
Historically, Pakistan’s summers commenced in June, with temperatures reaching the high 40s. However, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department, May has been similarly hot over the last five years. “During a power outage, I was sweating so much that the drops were falling off my forehead onto my desk,” 15-year-old Jannat, a student in Lahore, recounted to AFP. “A girl in my class had a nosebleed from the heat.”
Balancing Health and Learning
Approximately one-third of Pakistani school-aged children—over 26 million—are out of school, according to government figures, marking one of the highest numbers globally. Furthermore, 65% of children are unable to read age-appropriate material by age 10. School closures impact almost every region of Pakistan, including Punjab, the country’s most populous province, which also has the highest rates of school attendance. Classes were suspended for two weeks in November due to air pollution, and for another week in May because of heat. In the preceding academic year, three weeks were lost in January due to a cold snap and two weeks in May due to heat. Political unrest and cricket matches that closed roads further contributed to lost days.
In Balochistan, Pakistan’s most impoverished province, May heatwaves have led to early summer vacations for three consecutive years, while in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, school hours are routinely cut. For authorities, the dilemma often involves choosing between sending children to school in potentially hazardous conditions or witnessing them fall behind academically. In southern Sindh province, authorities have resisted heat-related closures despite increasing demands from parents.
“It’s hard for parents to send their children to school in this kind of weather,” private school principal Sadiq Hussain told AFP in Karachi, adding that attendance drops by 25% in May. “Their physical and mental health is being affected,” added Dost Mohammad Danish, general secretary of the All Sindh Private Schools and Colleges Association. “Don’t expect better scientists from Pakistan in the coming years.”
Widespread Suffering
Schools in Pakistan are overseen by provincial authorities, whose closure notices apply to all schools in a given region, even when they are hundreds of kilometers (miles) apart and may be experiencing different conditions or possess varying resources to cope. Teachers, parents, and education experts advocate for a re-evaluation of school hours, exam timetables, and vacations. They suggest options such as schools offering Saturday classes or splitting the school day to avoid the midday heat.
Izza Farrakh, a senior education specialist at the World Bank, noted that climate change-related impacts are affecting both attendance and learning outcomes. “Schools need to have flexibility in determining their academic calendar. It shouldn’t be centralized,” she stated, adding that end-of-year exams typically taken in May could be replaced by regular assessments throughout the year.
Adapting school buildings is also paramount. International development agencies have already equipped thousands of schools with solar panels, but many more of the country’s 250,000 schools require assistance. Hundreds of climate-resilient schools, funded by World Bank loans, are currently being constructed in Sindh. These structures are elevated to withstand monsoon flooding and are fitted with solar panels for power and rooftop insulation to mitigate heat and cold.
However, in Pakistan’s most impoverished villages, where education offers a pathway out of generational poverty, parents continue to face difficult choices. In rural Sukkur, the local school was among 27,000 damaged or destroyed by unprecedented 2022 floods. Children now learn outside their half-collapsed school building, exposed to the elements. “Our children are worried, and we are deeply concerned,” said parent Ali Gohar Gandhu, a daily wage laborer. “Everyone is suffering.”
