The Effect of Climate Change on Education Sectors: A Case Study on Somalia

Background: Climate change poses a significant threat to education systems globally, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations in developing countries. Since 2022, extreme weather has led to school closures for over 400 million students worldwide. Somalia, particularly Jubbaland and Southwest States, frequently experiences droughts, floods, and extreme weather events, disrupting school operations, damaging infrastructure, and forcing temporary or permanent school closures. The devastating affects of climate change on all sphere of communities and families in Somalia has created situations where education for children is deprioritized due the abject poverty created by climate change and stressful living conditions of the crises affected population in Somalia. This study examines the effects of climate change on education in climate shock prone regions of Somalia. Methods: A mixed-methods approach was used, integrating quantitative surveys from 249 respondents—including students, teachers, and school administrators—with qualitative interviews from 35 teachers and 15 administrators to provide a comprehensive analysis. Results: The findings indicate that 83.4% of students experienced school closures due to climate-related disasters, with an average closure duration of 5.8 weeks (±2.4 weeks). Climate-induced displacement (31.2%), food and water scarcity (27.6%), and health issues such as dehydration and heat stress (22.1%) contributed to high absenteeism rates (68.3%). Additionally, 42.7% of students identified financial hardship as a major reason for dropouts, while 19.6% cited infrastructure damage as a contributing factor. The study also revealed institutional challenges, including infrastructure damage, poor disaster preparedness, and limited support, which worsened learning disruptions and dropout risks. Conclusion and Recommendation: The study underscores the urgent need for climate-resilient education systems in Somalia, as recurrent climate shocks continue to disrupt school attendance, infrastructure, and learning outcomes. Strengthening policy frameworks, school disaster preparedness, and collaboration between government agencies, NGOs, and local communities is critical in building a more adaptive and resilient education sector capable of withstanding future climate-related disruptions.