Education Crisis Deepens in West and Central Africa Amidst Severe Flooding
Severe flooding has left about 10 million children in Nigeria, Mali, Niger, and the DRC out of school, worsening an already critical education crisis. Save the Children is urging urgent support for emergency relief and resilient school infrastructure.
According to an article published by reliefweb, approximately 10 million children across Nigeria, Mali, Niger, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are currently out of school due to unprecedented flooding that has wreaked havoc on infrastructure and displaced nearly one million people. The article cites a statement by Save the Children revealing that the ongoing education crisis is a direct result of extreme weather events exacerbated by the climate crisis.
The heavy rains have led to significant damage and destruction of schools, with many being occupied by families forced from their homes. This situation has compounded an already dire educational landscape, where an estimated 36 million children were already out of school due to conflict and poverty, with over 20 million in Nigeria alone.
As the back-to-school season commenced at the end of September, all four affected countries faced significant delays. Niger announced a three-week postponement of the school year, impacting 3.8 million learners and leaving 5,520 classrooms damaged or destroyed. Similarly, Mali declared a month’s delay, affecting another 3.8 million students.
In Nigeria, the situation is particularly alarming, with at least 3 million children out of school in Borno state alone. Recent flooding has forced 2.2 million children into new school closures, with heavy rains affecting 30 of Nigeria’s 36 states, resulting in 269 fatalities and displacing 640,000 individuals.
The DRC has also been severely impacted, with flooding earlier this year destroying 1,325 schools and affecting over 200,000 children. Currently, at least 59,000 children remain out of school, with Tanganyika province being the hardest hit.
Before the floods, 14,000 schools in Central and West Africa were already closed due to attacks and threats against education, further complicating the situation for thousands of children seeking access to learning.
Save the Children is urgently calling for donor support to address the devastating consequences of these natural disasters, particularly for affected children. The organization emphasizes the need for governments and partners to implement measures that allow displaced children to continue their education and to enhance the resilience of schools against future extreme weather events.
In response to the crisis, Save the Children is providing emergency relief, including water, sanitation, hygiene kits, and cash assistance to affected families. Additionally, the organization is investing in early warning systems to better prepare communities for future flooding.
As the global community grapples with the climate crisis, Save the Children advocates for national governments to phase out fossil fuel subsidies, aiming to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels while ensuring that children’s voices and needs are prioritized in climate action.
