Climate Impacts on Learning Continuity in Bangladesh: A Rapid Assessment 

Climate impacts on education in Bangladesh are placing mounting pressure on the country’s primary education system as increasingly frequent and severe climate events disrupt schooling nationwide. Cyclones, flash floods, prolonged waterlogging, tidal surges, and heatwaves now interrupt schooling with regularity, creating cumulative and inequitable learning losses for millions of children.

This rapid assessment, conducted in the most climate-affected upazilas of Barishal and Sylhet divisions, provides a detailed examination of how extreme climate events influence school operations, educational access, learning continuity, and disability inclusion. The findings highlight critical vulnerabilities and resilient local practices with direct implications for the design of the Fifth Primary Education Development Program (PEDP5).

The assessment draws on qualitative interviews with 83 head teachers, 222 class teachers, and 23 Education Officers, complemented by 2,273 student assessments from 83 government primary schools across 16 climate-affected upazilas in Barishal and Sylhet divisions. These geographic focus areas represent some of Bangladesh’s most climate-exposed settings, including coastal cyclone belts and haor wetlands prone to seasonal flooding.

Across this landscape, the study identifies significant disruptions to schooling, systemic implementation gaps, and diverse local responses that together present a nuanced picture of climate impacts on primary education.

This rapid assessment generates actionable evidence on how repeated climate-related shocks—particularly severe flooding and extreme heat—are disrupting learning continuity for children in Bangladesh’s most vulnerable areas. The findings contribute to the design of the Education in Emergencies component of PEDP5 by assessing learning losses, school disruptions, and local response measures, and by providing practical, low-cost recommendations for government and development partners to sustain education during climate crises.