The world is getting warmer. For education in low- and lower-middle-income countries, the impacts are potentially catastrophic in terms of both children’s access to education and learning outcomes.

Climate change affects long-term food stability, economic growth and migration, which are all likely to impact education systems across lower-income countries. We expect to see increased classroom temperatures, which is linked to reduced learning.

Natural disasters are becoming more regular and can derail education entirely. The table below outlines the potential impacts.

Anthropogenic environmental change impact on learning in lower-middle income countries

Source: Bangay, 2021

Types of intervention within the education sector to reduce forthcoming impacts of climate change

Although factors such as long-term food insecurity and reduced economic growth will directly affect education in lower-middle income countries, the education sector is not in a position to address the root of the issues, which occurs in other sectors.

Therefore, this blog focuses on what can be done specifically within the education sector to adapt and reduce the negative impacts of climate change on education. Importantly, this blog does not attempt to cover the potential role of the education sector in reducing greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate climate change.

I propose a framework of three types of adaptation education intervention: retrofit, systems strengthening, and new buildings and infrastructure interventions. The aim is to ensure that all three categories receive attention, and that interventions cover the short to the long term.

This framework is not meant to be comprehensive—there are always exceptions to the rule—but it is designed to help progress how we are approaching adaptation in education.

Research in this area is nascent, and much of what I propose is based on practitioner experience and reflections. We need more research, fast, to guide adaptation to climate change.

Retrofit interventions

These are adjustments that can be made to a school’s built environment after the main construction has been completed. This type of intervention is a plaster (or band aid), not a long-term cure. Over time, these interventions can be embedded into new building processes.

• Roof painting. In Dar es Salaam, I saw the potential of temperature reduction from painting roofs white, with a recorded average classroom temperature reduction of 3.7℃ over the course of a school day. This intervention has also been shown elsewhere (in Italy, Portugal, Hong Kong). Given that the best estimates available suggest 2% reduced learning per 1℃ increase in temperature, it sits at the top of my list for retrofit interventions.
• Planting the right types of trees. Trees can improve shading (and therefore classroom temperatures), act as windbreaks, reduce the risk of landslides, and potentially provide fruit. More research is needed on how to deliver this intervention effectively, especially around building subsidence risks.
• Internal insulation. Introducing low cost, natural insulation on the underside of a roof may reduce temperatures and also noise from rain. Materials such as split bamboo and papaya have been tested but more research is needed.

System strengthening interventions

In relation to climate, system strengthening is the area where we arguably have the most evidence, and existing framing, detailed in Fitzpatrick and Wests’ summary. This entails building the resilience of the system to address the immediate impacts of climate change and to adapt to indirect issues such as long-term food insecurity.

• Gather data for decision-making. This, along with developing the expertise required to make effective decisions, tops my list of system strengthening interventions. Sierra Leone provides a good example: the government has developed algorithms to direct school building locations.
• Build government capacity to respond to natural disasters. Climate change will bring increased natural disasters. Building the capacity, processes and tools for government to respond to disasters and broader shocks will be a core way of reducing damage to education progress when these issues occur.
• Build maintenance systems for existing infrastructure. Building new infrastructure is a big task. However, the need for further infrastructure investment can be reduced, if there is an effective, thorough, routine approach to maintenance on existing schools.

New building and infrastructure interventions

The classroom environment directly affects whether and how learning takes place.

The figure above attempts to outline how the system inputs, location selection and school design impact learning. There is simply no budget to rebuild existing classroom stock, so change takes decades as old buildings are replaced or new schools added.

• Change how buildings are procured. Due to the huge financial implications, this is first on my list for new building interventions. The table below shows the costs of different approaches to procurement. My experience in Malawi suggests we need new channels to deliver buildings effectively, particularly in drawing in nongovernmental organizations.
• Adjust designs and materials. Not only does this improve a building’s lifespan, children's classroom experience and climate resilience, but it can also nudge improved pedagogies. Read more information.
• Address water sources. Climate change is already inducing boreholes and wells to dry up. In some places where it rains throughout the year, water harvesting might be an option, but only if integrated with appropriate malaria control strategies.

Classroom costs through different procurement channels from a study of 215 projects across Africa with costs adjusted to 2006 prices

Source: Theunynck, 2009; Bonner et al., 2010

More research needed

I have made the case for categorizing adaptation interventions in education into three categories: retrofit, system strengthening, and new buildings and infrastructure.

This blog also illustrates, throughout, that there is currently not enough evidence to justify rolling out many of the interventions proposed at scale, so my final plea is for further research.

This joins recent similar calls from Bangay, Fitzpatrick and West, and Pankhurst. We urgently need pragmatic research on how to reduce climate impacts in education across the three categories of intervention in a cost-effective way.

References

• Bangay, C. ‘Education, anthropogenic environmental change and sustainable development: A rudimentary framework and reflections on proposed causal pathways for positive change in low and lower middle-income countries’, Development Policy Review (2021), p. e12615.
• Bonner, R. et al. ‘Delivering cost effective and sustainable school infrastructure’, TI-UP. org (2010) [Preprint].
• Fitzpatrick, R. and West, H. ‘Improving Resilience, Adaptation and Mitigation to Cimate Change Through Education in Low-and Lower-middle Income Countries’. (2022)
• Proctor, J. ‘Education Infrastructure Guide’. (forthcoming)
• Theunynck, S. School construction strategies for universal primary education in Africa: should communities be empowered to build their schools? World Bank Publications, 2009