World Bank calls for urgent action as flood displaces 404 million students globally

In its report, “Choosing Our Future: Education for Climate Action,” the World Bank linked this alarming statistic to school closures in at least 81 countries, including Nigeria, which experienced temporary shutdowns due to floods, storms, and heatwaves.

The World Bank highlighted that climate change, especially flooding, has led to widespread school closures, and these disruptions have largely gone unnoticed because they are not being properly tracked by authorities.

The release of the report coincides with ongoing severe flooding in Nigeria, where heavy rainfall has displaced residents, particularly in Maiduguri, Borno State. The overflow of the Alau Dam in Maiduguri has affected nearly two million people in the city and surrounding areas.

The report states, “While education can drive climate action, climate change is also severely affecting education. The rising frequency and intensity of extreme weather events—floods, cyclones, heatwaves, and droughts—are disrupting schooling, leading to significant learning losses and increased dropouts.”

The World Bank also stressed that despite the scale of climate-related school closures, these events are not being tracked, leaving the crisis largely unnoticed.

Analysis from the report shows that in the past two decades, schools were closed during 75% of extreme climate events impacting over five million people.

From January 2022 to June 2024, an estimated 404 million students experienced school closures due to severe weather, with 81 countries temporarily shutting down schools because of floods, storms, and heatwaves.

The report further noted that for less than $20 per student, schools could be equipped to minimize learning disruptions. Even when schools remain open, rising temperatures are still affecting students’ learning.

The World Bank recommended governments invest in foundational and STEM education, mainstream climate-related topics, build teacher capacity, and prioritize green skills and innovation in higher education to promote sustainable practices.

It urged governments to act swiftly to adapt education systems to the realities of climate change, particularly in low-income countries, where the impact is more severe.

“Education is a critical tool for climate action, as it helps reshape behaviors, develop skills, and drive innovation—essential components for addressing the climate crisis. Well-educated individuals are more resilient, adaptable, and capable of creating and working in green jobs, which are vital for climate solutions,” the report added.

The report also highlighted that education is often overlooked in the global climate agenda, with almost no climate finance directed towards it. Investing more in education could significantly boost efforts to address climate change and its effects on schooling.

In addition, the report noted that low-income countries lose an average of 18 days of instruction per year due to climate-related school closures, while high-income countries lose only 2.4 days. Without intervention, these learning losses could lead to long-term deficits, particularly in low-income regions.

Governments were advised to implement cost-effective strategies to adapt schools to climate change, with the World Bank estimating that a basic adaptation package would cost around $18.51 per student. These packages would include temperature control, infrastructure resilience, remote learning solutions, and teacher training, helping to reduce climate-related school closures and minimize learning losses.

The report also cited findings from Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), which revealed that students in some regions of the country missed 53 school days due to flooding between July and October 2022.

Severely affected states included Bayelsa, Delta, Anambra, Kogi, Nasarawa, and Jigawa.