Nigeria's federal and state governments have been urged to take urgent action to address the devastating impact of severe flooding on the country's education.
This was the highlight of a pilot survey conducted by a non-profit organization, the Geohazards Risk Mapping Initiative (GRMI), aimed at assessing the impact of flooding on students and educational activities in Lagos and Kogi.
Speaking on the findings of the report, GRMI Founder and Senior Project Leader, Taiwo Ogunwumi, highlighted the need for proactive measures to protect education systems and build resilience against the growing threat of climate change-induced flooding in Nigeria.
The report revealed that while most of the schools surveyed in the two states are strategically located in low-risk areas, the intensity of flooding often forced some schools to temporarily close, leading to disruption of academic activities.
“Beyond the physical closure of schools, the emotional and mental toll of flooding on students is significant, with many expressing anxiety about falling behind their peers academically. These disruptions create disparities between students in flood-affected and unaffected schools, which could exacerbate educational inequalities,” Ogunwumi said.
He also said that an estimated 2.5 million children and youth in Nigeria reside in flood-prone areas, exposing them to greater risks.
To address these challenges, the GRMI called for strengthening school infrastructure in flood-prone communities, emphasizing that investing in resilient infrastructure, such as elevated buildings and improved drainage systems, can reduce instances of closures and ensure that schools remain operational during floods.
Considering the impact of the floods on the mental health of students, as revealed in the GRMI survey, the organization urged governments to provide psychosocial support to students in the affected areas to help them cope with the emotional distress caused by floods and other climate-related disturbances.
“Flood-related school closures highlight the need for alternative learning platforms. To ensure continuity of education during flood-induced school closures, we advocate for the development of remote learning platforms that will help students maintain academic progress.
“It is equally important to empower youth and children in flood risk management. Training programs should be designed to teach students and youth how to map and identify flood-prone areas. By involving children in disaster risk reduction efforts, they become active participants in building safer communities.
“The government should collaborate with organizations like ours to run workshops and school campaigns to educate young people about the causes and effects of flooding. These programs can foster a culture of preparedness and resilience among students and communities.
“Flooding is not just an environmental issue; It is a threat to the education and future of our children. We implore governments at all levels to take bold and decisive action to implement these recommendations. We must act now to ensure that schools remain safe and accessible and that students do not lose their right to quality education,” Ogunwumi said.
Also speaking on the report, GRMI Head of Research, Kayode Adeniyi, said floods pose a serious risk to the education sector in Nigeria as they disrupt academic activities, damage critical school infrastructure and create unsafe conditions for both students. students and staff.
Adeniyi, who revealed that students from marginalized communities, many of whom reside in flood-prone areas, are among the most affected, highlighted that “this situation threatens the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, especially the Goal 4 that advocates for inclusive and equitable quality. education and promotes lifelong learning opportunities for all.”
Citing the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) report, it revealed that students in flood-affected areas lost an average of 53 school days in 2022 alone due to severe flooding.
However, the GRMI research leader said that despite these alarming figures, the true impact of flooding on education often goes unnoticed, adding that there is currently no official system to comprehensively track the frequency, severity or the educational consequences of the floods in the country.
He explained that this informed his organization's decision to conduct a pilot survey to assess the impact of the floods on students and educational activities in Lagos and Kogi states, with plans to conduct the study in other states of the federation. .
Adeniyi noted that the GRMI report comes at a time when Nigeria faces growing climate challenges, with UNICEF's Children's Climate Risk Index (CCRI) ranking the country as the second most at risk globally from the impacts of climate change among 163 nations.