The Impact of a Severe Drought on Girls’ Attendance and Learning

How will climate change impact education since near-universal primary education has been achieved in many developing countries? We begin to answer this by studying a recent severe drought in Southern Africa. Using data from a large cluster-randomized control trial involving girls and satellite data measuring drought intensity, we find that drought exposure increased attendance, especially for the poorest girls. Girls experiencing food insecurity see declines in learning assessment scores while others see no gains in assessment scores, on average, compared to the counterfactual. The analysis highlights the importance of considering both attendance and performance in analyses. It also suggests the potential importance of ensuring schools have the resources to deal with higher attendance and providing food assistance to students during droughts.