How climate change may affect education in developing countries

Education stands as a cornerstone in the edifice of any society, as it serves as a powerful catalyst for individual growth and national development, forging pathways out of poverty and opening doors to opportunities that might otherwise remain closed. By equipping individuals with knowledge and skills, education empowers them to contribute meaningfully to the economy, participate actively in civic life, and pursue personal aspirations, thereby enhancing the overall quality of life.

However, the UNESCO “Global education monitoring report 2023” highlights how in 2020, 260 million young people of primary and secondary school age weren’t attending school, while over 132 million lacked the opportunity to take qualifying examinations for higher education or workforce entry.

In this series of articles, we are going first to have a quick overview of the pivotal role that schooling plays in achieving some non-trivial effects in developing countries and the challenges that people in such countries face in order to get a high degree of education. Then, we will go in depth of the novel threats posed by Climate change (Reduction of Productivity and Climate Displacement). Finally, we try to understand what intergenerational evolution might be if such threats are not addressed with urgence.

So, let us dive into the perspective of a detached policy maker: why should we invest in education?

A function of a good school system that isn’t typically regarded enough outside Economics is its signaling role to the market, indicating a job candidate's underlying ability and productivity. Such information makes the labor market matching mechanism more efficient, increasing the probability that each hired worker is a good fit for a firm and the other way around.

As they also raise individuals productivity, increasing investments in schooling and training could be an effective solution to reduce inequality within a country, with many other spillover effects at a household and national level.

But is there any incentive for a government to reduce inequality or is it only an ethical issue?

It immediately comes to mind that a high degree of income inequality in a country fosters political instability, which is associated with several hazardous practices, such as the tendency of generating debt in excess when leaving office, to increase public spending (which is typically appreciated by voters) and try to force the next government to cut the spending or increase taxes. However, the iteration of such debt-generating tendency not only widens intergenerational inequalities, but also poses a risk for the financial stability of a country while repeatedly putting pressure on future governments in a subtle vicious cycle. When political instability scenarios become too extreme, they may degenerate into dangerous violent coups.

Education is also a necessary condition for the accumulation of the “Human and Intellectual capital”, which is the essence of the technological and infrastructural development in a country. Finally, it is crucial for the social and psychological development of the individual, while also contributing to the increase of  life expectancy and betterment of health through several channels.

Despite the critical need for educated individuals in developing countries, access to higher schooling remains a significant challenge for many. The German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and development identifies several obstacles to overcome, which may be summarized in four categories:

Marginalization and limited access

One in three people worldwide continue to live in low levels of human development, and most of them fall into the so called “Disadvantaged groups”.

Such groups get marginalized from society due to a variety of factors, including gender, economic status, and cultural background. This exclusion makes access to education particularly challenging for them. In developing countries this disadvantage concerns the most: women, those living in poverty, Indigenous peoples, religious, people with disabilities, ethnic and linguistic minorities.

The COVID-19 pandemic also called attention to the importance of reducing the “Digital Divide” between developed and developing countries. This division emerges as only 27% of the population in poorest countries has Internet access, impeding to most the use of remote schooling resources or possible alternatives to them.

Displaced children

The last 20 years were characterized by intense migrations, wars and natural disasters due to climate change. Many children were obliged to leave their homes, interrupting their studies, and many schools were destroyed by these events. Teenagers are particularly harmed by these kinds of events, as it’s harder for them to find educational opportunities.

We will go in detail about this class of issues in the third article, which will be about Climate Displacement.

Cost barriers

In some of the poorest countries, where income inequality is more marked, the cost of school fees prevents families from sending their children to school, leading to high dropout rates. Girls, in particular, are often the ones who miss out. However, in countries where school fees have been abolished, enrollment rates have risen significantly. Additionally, many families depend on the income their children bring in, stopping them from attending school.

Low budget, quality teaching and lack of infrastructures

In most developing countries, governments are unable to assure the basic tools that are needed to support a high-quality education.  This has to be attributed both to a lack of fundings and structural policies to increase the human/infrastructural capital.

 In the policy paper “Can countries afford their national SDG 4 benchmarks?”, published by UNESCO, it is found that achieving the national targets in low-income and lower-middle-income countries will cost a cumulative USD 3.7 trillion between 2023 and 2030, but most countries won’t be able to cover such expenditure as tax revenues are too low and public debt too high. Corruption and lack of managerial skills also contribute to the poor execution of the education policies. To try and offset this negative trend, the industrialized countries would have to contribute to the poorest countries' expenditures, but recently the West has cut funding for development cooperation in the education sector. 

However, it's not only a matter of money. People living in rural areas find it difficult to attend schools that are typically based in urban areas. Teachers have to work in difficult conditions, with big classes and several shifts, without proper training. This latter issue is particularly important, considering that even children who are able to attend the classes do not develop basic skills in reading, writing and arithmetic. Thus, even more investments for transportation, new hirings and better training would be required to reach an acceptable threshold in quality.

In conclusion, addressing these challenges requires a multifaceted approach. It involves not only increasing financial investments in education but also ensuring that such investments are effectively allocated, trying to reach even the most disadvantaged groups. Enhancing the quality of education through better training for teachers, improved infrastructure, and inclusive policies is crucial. Moreover, tackling issues like the digital divide and climate displacement is essential to creating a resilient and adaptable educational system in these countries.

The stakes are high. Failure to invest adequately in education perpetuates cycles of poverty and inequality, destabilizes societies, and hampers economic growth. The path forward demands collaborative efforts from domestic governments, industrialized countries, international organizations, and communities to ensure that every child, regardless of their background, has access to quality education and the chance to build a better future.