The education sector in Pakistan is at high risk due to the rising harsh realities of climate change. Temperatures are on the increase, smog is deadly, and the weather is unpredictable, which disrupts schools and learning calendars and threatens the mental and physical health of children. The climate change disruptions aggravate the country’s educational crisis and impact long-term human development. There are already more than 1/3 of school-age children out of school. The changing scenario requires a comprehensive approach to protect the future of education in Pakistan.
Climate Disruptions and Pakistan Education
Students in Pakistan have lost 97 days of school, equivalent to 54% of the academic year, due to disruptions associated with climate change in 2024. This alarming ratio indicates a significant failure in the nation’s provision of stable education. According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), these shutdowns indirectly affected more than 2 million children.
Ex-Education Minister Zubaida Jalal emphasized the need to update the national curriculum to include climate change and to develop emergency funds for restoring education following disasters. She stresses the importance of having libraries and reading materials that would gradually raise awareness of environmental issues among students and, in the long run, lead to a change in their behaviour.
UNICEF Report
In 2024, an alarming 242 million children in 85 countries became vulnerable to notorious adverse climatic occurrences. The region most affected was South Asia, with 128 million students impacted. In East Asia and the Pacific, 50 million were in the equation. Increases in heat, floods, and other related dangers have destroyed infrastructure, transportation, and learning concentration, particularly in institutions that lacked cooling systems or had improperly constructed buildings.
Classroom Extreme Conditions
In 2025, temperatures in Punjab were recorded at 45°C, resulting in reduced school days and early breaks. In Lahore, a 17-year-old girl said it was like they are sitting in a brick kiln.’ Many students experienced nosebleeds and dehydration. Students can study in damaged buildings on the ground or under a tree with no shelter against the weather in rural settings. The principals of the school’s family said that there was an extremely low attendance rate, and a large number of children showed signs of heat exhaustion. The conditions are not only uncomfortable but also hazardous, making learning nearly impossible.
Marginalization of Girls’ Education
According to UNICEF, 74% of the affected students are from the underdeveloped world. The burden was highest among girls, who were unable to continue their schooling due to prolonged disruptions caused by climate change. A long-term closure increases the risks of child marriage and labour participation. Although this crisis has hit nearly the entire world, the floods in Italy and Spain affected thousands of students, and Pakistan is particularly vulnerable simply because of the infrastructure and the lack of a climate loss and damage fund.
Youth Perspectives on Climate Change
The report on the challenge involves the opinions of young Pakistanis: only 27% responded that they could describe climate change, but 83% answered that they were ready to act with assistance. Among them 78% said climate change was impacting their education, either through financial stress in their families or limited access to school. Most of them, 59% urged the government to lead the fight against climate change. The voices of young people play a crucial role in shaping future policy responses.
Systemic Closures and Regional Inequities
In Pakistan, the closure of schools has become a routine affair. November was lost two weeks due to toxic smog, and May was affected by heat waves that caused the temperatures in classrooms to be insufferable and extremely hazardous to health. Meanwhile, there were more closures due to political unrest and public events, such as cricket matches, which further reduced the academic calendar.
In May, attendance in the schools in Sindh declined by 25%. In rural Sukkur, the floods have destroyed schools, forcing children to live outside unprotected classrooms that are exposed to the sun and rain. Summer holidays have begun prematurely three years in a row now due to the regular occurrence of heatwaves in Balochistan. School duration is consistently cut in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to prevent high temperatures during the noon hours. These impacts on specific regions will require changes in education policy to be decentralized.
Adaptive Policies for Schools
The increasing nexus between climate education and climate action has prompted experts to call for several courses of action to be implemented. Schools should be given the freedom to adjust their schedules according to local climate and social needs. Continuous assessments throughout the year are being proposed as an alternative to year-end exams, which are regularly disrupted by climatic events. Adjusting school hours to cooler times and offering weekend classes would make learning more accessible.
Infrastructure Upgrades
World Bank education expert Izza Farrakh noted that schools should be given the freedom to adapt to local climatic conditions. In Sindh, hundreds of climate-adapted schools are being constructed with higher levels, solar power, and heat-insulated roofs. However, out of 25,000 schools in Pakistan, many are not even resistant enough to basic flooding. These innovations cannot be scaled up to a national level without such large-scale investment.
One of the major threats to Pakistan’s education system has been the threat of climate change. Each year, millions of children lose access to education, and the educational infrastructure remains in danger. Therefore, systemic reforms such as policy requirements and reforming the structure are urgently needed. Incorporating climate awareness teaching, decentralizing decision-making, and empowering academic institutions with resilient facilities are essential actions. The resolution requires a comprehensive grassroots policy investment panel.
If you want to submit your articles and/or research papers, please visit the Submissions page.
To stay updated with the latest jobs, CSS news, internships, scholarships, and current affairs articles, join our Community Forum!
The views and opinions expressed in this article/paper are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Paradigm Shift.
Owais Khan Marwat is a research professional with a background in International Relations.