Education to Save Lives

Passengers woke to the sound of commotion.

One of the most extreme impacts of climate change on education is the danger within schools, which can lead to the loss of lives of both children and teachers when disasters strike. Rajendra Dawadi, a high school principal in the Trishuli Valley, Nepal, described to the Associated Press (AP) the dilemma he faced during a flash flood: his choice at that moment was between losing one day of learning or losing entire lives. He subsequently halted all teaching activities and ordered approximately 900 students and teachers to evacuate. Upon reaching higher ground, he saw that his school had been swept away. He sat down, speechless.

Similar decisions are faced by many educators in Indonesia located in disaster-prone areas, ranging from floods and earthquakes to fires. Indonesia is among the countries vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. These impacts in Indonesia encompass the food and agriculture sectors, health and heat stress, floods and landslides, and marine ecosystems (World Bank, 2025).

LOST LEARNING

During 2024, school closures due to the impacts of climate change affected approximately 242 million children worldwide (Unicef, 2025). In Indonesia, based on data from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education for November-December 2025, floods and landslides hitting Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra affected 3,274 educational units and 276,249 students (Kemendikdasmen, 2026). Furthermore, the Ministry noted that 54,743 educational units with over 6 million students across 12 provinces in Kalimantan were potentially exposed to smoke from forest and land fires occurring throughout 2025 (Kemendikdasmen, 2026).

School closures and the reduction of effective learning time are often viewed as mere interruptions. In reality, these interruptions will become increasingly frequent and prolonged. We need to maximise the available learning time so that students in affected areas do not fall further behind.

EDUCATION IN CRISIS

According to Newsome et al. (2023), global warming places education in a dilemma: schools have the potential to be drivers of climate crisis management, but without adequate protection, they can instead become victims of climate disasters. Therefore, according to Fischel et al. (2023), school facilities have three roles: first, climate-resilient schools capable of withstanding extreme weather; second, eco-friendly schools implementing decarbonisation and resource efficiency; and third, schools as educational tools that connect the curriculum with their physical space.

Additionally, teaching and learning scenarios need to be reviewed to adjust to the existing educational reality, where effective learning time and location can no longer be predicted. Conventional learning patterns that are entirely scheduled and tied to classrooms may need to change. Learning scenarios that maximise both in-class and virtual learning may need to become part of the normal learning framework. Drawing from the COVID-19 pandemic, the transition to online learning requires time and specific skills. Schools should prepare adaptive distance learning (PJJ) systems for when access to schools is disrupted.

However, distance learning is not a single solution to all problems. Its effectiveness depends on uneven prerequisites: internet access, devices, digital literacy, and psychosocial support, which are often most fragile in disaster-affected areas. Distance learning is merely one layer in a solution ecosystem, not a replacement for physical school presence.

CURRICULUM FOR SURVIVAL

School curricula also need to integrate climate change themes alongside relevant skills that support the transition to sustainable development. Furthermore, educational orientation must be adjusted so that communities are prepared to face the impacts of climate change within their localities. Almost all regions of Indonesia will experience these impacts in different forms, from food crises in agrarian areas to declining fish catches in coastal regions.

A survey by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (2025) shows that 73% of respondents in Indonesia know very little about climate change, while 93% support climate change teaching programmes. The concept is indeed complex and needs to be made more understandable for students at various developmental stages.

This is where education plays a vital role as a bridge for students and communities to understand the specific impacts of climate change in their school’s location. Teachers and principals need to be keen translators of how climate change affects their communities. Schools in agrarian areas can incorporate materials on food security, adaptive weather cycles, and water conservation through school garden or hydroponic projects. Schools in coastal areas can develop marine literacy, coastal ecology, and blue economy concepts.

Rising temperatures also necessitate adjustments in how students learn. Schools, for instance, need to adjust standard operating procedures (SOP) for outdoor activities and physical education hours if the heat index exceeds safe limits. Additionally, Physical Education, Sports, and Health (PJOK) lessons could add material on environmental health, first aid for dehydration and heat exhaustion, and understanding weather indicators. Most urgently, for all communities to possess resilience, they must have the ability to map disaster risks in their surroundings and receive disaster mitigation education so they know how to save themselves.

However, all these agendas demand the integration of policies that have long been fragmented: education, disaster management, and climate budgets currently operate in isolation. There is a need for mandates for climate safety audits, climate-resilient building standards within physical education funds (DAK), and disaster contingency funds at the school level. Without this, recommendations…