More than 100,000 schools will be closed for another 14 days in Pakistan. File image/Reuters
High temperatures in Pakistan are expected to affect more than 100,000 schools across the country, and summer holidays will be extended by two days in schools in southern Pakistan, education officials said on Tuesday (July 23).
“We have decided to keep schools closed for another 14 days for the health of children,” Atif Biggio, spokesman for the Sindh education department, told AFP.
Load shedding: a big concern
Planned power outages are becoming more common in Pakistan as a response to the country’s ongoing power supply crisis.
The length of the power outages varies from city to city, but in rural Sindh they can last more than 12 hours a day, leaving schools without fans in the sweltering heat.
“As a teacher, I am worried about how they will manage the curriculum but as a mother, I am worried about my children going to school in this heat,” said a government school teacher.
Climate change and its associated problems
The effects of climate change have made Pakistan increasingly vulnerable to extreme weather: the country’s heatwaves are hotter and more frequent, and monsoons are more intense and last longer.
In May and June, Pakistan was hit by a series of heat waves, with temperatures exceeding 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) in rural Sindh province.
Authorities in India’s most populous state, Punjab, have started the summer holidays in May, a week earlier than planned, to protect children from the scorching heat.
Pakistan contributes less than 1% of global greenhouse gas emissions, yet the country has suffered severe weather disasters in recent years due to changing weather patterns.
The government said more than 26 million children were out of school due to poverty.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said more than three-quarters of children in South Asia – 460 million people – are exposed to temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) for at least 83 days each year.
Input from AFP
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