Tanzania’s schools are experiencing a mounting crisis driven by climate change, with profound implications for education.

In recent years, almost 2 million more children have enrolled in primary school, girls are enrolled at a higher rate than boys and primary school pass rates have increased by 30%.

However, without investments in climate-resilient infrastructure, including schools and in teachers, these impressive advances in education will be under threat in the coming years.

Climate projections suggest that average temperatures in Tanzania will rise—by around 1.4 degrees by 2030—and they could experience up to 80 additional days of extreme heat annually by 2040.

This will be coupled with increasingly erratic rainfall patterns that will intensify droughts, storms and floods. This is part of a broader global concern as highlighted by GPE’s focus on improving education in countries most vulnerable to climate impacts.

Our recent study in Tanzania, Temperature, Rainfall, and Learning: Evidence from School Surveys in Tanzania, raises questions about the need to address current vulnerabilities in infrastructure as these will be exacerbated by the climate and environment crisis.

Focused on 48 schools in Dodoma, Pwani, and Mara regions, the study’s findings highlight the urgent need for investments, policies and planning that focuses on building and maintaining climate-resilient education infrastructure in the country.

The impact of rising temperatures on learning

Rising temperatures in classrooms has been one of the important impacts of climate change on teaching and learning.

During our study in Tanzania where we placed a temperature sensor in a classroom in each of the participating schools, we found that over 50% of lessons happened in classrooms where temperatures exceed 26.7°C—a threshold where cognitive performance begins to deteriorate.

Afternoon lessons were particularly affected as classrooms heat up, with the hottest temperatures being recorded between 2 to 3pm. Our survey also indicated 44% of headteachers describe classrooms as “very hot.”

Through classroom observations, we found that contributing factors to high classroom temperatures included classrooms having metal roofs without insulation, insufficient ventilation and inadequate shading.

By analyzing the curriculum of the schools alongside the temperature data (as shown in the sunburst graphs) we see that schools have attempted to mitigate the effects of heat by scheduling core subjects, such as mathematics and science, in the cooler morning hours.

However, even these lessons are often conducted in temperatures exceeding optimal levels for learning, highlighting the inadequacy of current school infrastructure to protect children against rising temperatures.

The disruptive role of rainfall

Rainfall poses an additional challenge in Tanzania, further destabilizing the education system in several ways. This creates a challenge for improving learning outcomes in the present but could see education regress under the impacts of increasingly erratic rainfall patterns, heavier storms, and flooding.

In particular, noise from rain pounding on tin roofs disrupts lessons, with 42% of headteachers ranking it as a major issue. Rainwater frequently leaks into classrooms, damaging floors and walls and rendering spaces partially or entirely unusable.

Additionally, flooding affects approximately one-third of classrooms during the rainy season. When you add in that students and teachers often have to navigate flooded roads to reach school, it highlights that much work needs to be done if we want to minimize education disruption during the rainy seasons.

Alarmingly, one-third of the schools surveyed also lack access to clean drinking water—a critical necessity for student health, particularly in high-temperature environments.

Investing in the future: Climate-resilient education systems

The findings reflect broader concerns about the intersection of education and climate change throughout Tanzania and other countries especially vulnerable to climate change impacts.

There is an urgent need to transform education systems to equip future generations with the knowledge and skills needed to navigate and mitigate the growing impacts of climate change.

Our report reinforces calls for decisive action to adapt school infrastructure to the realities of a changing climate. Recommendations include improving classroom ventilation, introducing shading mechanisms and constructing roofs with lighter materials and proper insulation.

Moreover, collaboration with local communities and the adoption of innovative, climate-smart construction techniques are essential to creating sustainable solutions.

The challenges we outline based on our experience in Tanzania are a stark reminder that the impacts of climate change extend beyond the environment, deeply affecting the foundational systems that support human development.

Ensuring climate-resilient education is not merely an infrastructural task—it is an investment in the future of Tanzania’s children and their ability to thrive in an increasingly unpredictable world.