Beyond the storms: Can Bangladesh afford to ignore climate education? (2025)

Twelve-year-old Shariful from Barishal dreams of designing airplanes and traveling the globe. Shariful's reality is starkly different from his dreams. In 2024, a devastating flood wreaked havoc on his community, severely damaging his school and home.

The school, where Shariful was a sixth grader, closed for weeks due to the extensive damage, and when it reopened, Shariful could not return. With his family struggling to rebuild their lives, he found himself working at a local welding shop to help support them. His aspirations of becoming an engineer, which once seemed within reach, were now overshadowed by the weight of immediate responsibilities.

Simultaneously, his family, grappling with financial ruin, prepared for his 14-year-old sister's early marriage, aiming to save Tk50,000 as dowry and for a fresh start in Dhaka. Shariful's dreams are now overshadowed by the stark realities of climate impact.

In 2023, natural hazards, including floods, cyclones and extreme heat, damaged 15,926 educational institutions in Bangladesh, affecting 726 government schools. BANBEIS reports showed extensive damage to buildings (10.97%), roofs (18.9%), furniture (5.32%), doors (15.9%), water systems (8.26%), and sanitation facilities (19.46%). This resulted in significant learning disruptions, with irrecoverable losses in academic competencies—29.62% in English, 29.22% in Mathematics, 18.65% in Science, and 6.11% in Bangla.

The impacts of school closures have been profound. A study by NewGlobe indicated it takes 18 days to re-teach a student how to add two-digit numbers with a well-designed and relevant pedagogy, a challenge exacerbated by the absence of long-term disaster risk management in many schools.

According to the World Bank-UNESCO Institute of Statistics (UIS), 51% of late primary-aged children in Bangladesh cannot read an age-appropriate simple text with comprehension following Covid-19-related closures, a condition known as learning poverty.

Additionally, more boys (2.5%) than girls (2.2%) were out of school, with a higher percentage of boys (53%) failing to achieve the Minimum Proficiency Level (MPL) by the end of primary compared to girls (47%), indicating greater learning poverty among boys.

Furthermore, coastal Bangladesh witnessed two-thirds of surveyed youth experiencing a natural disaster before marriage, correlating these events with an increase in child marriages. BANBEIS data also highlights a steep decline in secondary school enrollment from 9,230,427 in 2019 to 8,166,188 in 2023, with 294,557 students, 82.67% of whom were girls, dropping out due to disaster impacts. Despite more girls being enrolled initially, they accounted for 55% of total dropouts, underscoring the gendered impacts of educational disruptions.

Despite climate change being a direct threat to education worldwide, education itself remains our strongest tool for confronting the crisis. Education has proven to be the strongest predictor of climate awareness. Data shows investing in education in low- and lower-middle-income countries could reduce global carbon emissions by an estimated 51.48 gigatons by 2050. Yet education receives less than 1.5% of total global climate finance.

Analysis of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) shows that less than a third mention climate education, and fewer than a quarter address green skills. Before COP29, 111 countries updated or submitted new NDCs, with approximately 68% mentioning education but most of these references position education in general terms. Meanwhile, only 21% specifically addressed Climate Change Education (CCE), and none made it a mandatory part of their climate strategy.

The Paris Agreement, adopted in 2015, sets a global goal to keep global temperature within 1.5 degrees by the end of this century, and sets 42 indicators for 2030 to achieve this goal. However, scientists have rightly pointed out that we might hit 1.5 degrees by the end of this decade as 41 out of 42 indicators are off track. This is a testament that without widespread public awareness, engagement, and behavior change, achieving these goals is virtually impossible. Still, education was not mainstreamed as an adaptation or mitigation strategy once again at the recently concluded COP29 in Baku.

Bangladesh, however, earned a global reputation as a role model in minimising disaster risks by integrating sophisticated early warning systems and pioneering strategies like the Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (BCCSAP) 2009. Despite a low educational focus, this strategy provided a global blueprint for how developing nations might tackle rising sea levels and extreme weather.

One of the earliest and most influential interventions for Bangladesh was the National Education Policy (NEP) 2010 which mandates climate change and disaster management be incorporated into the curriculum.

Following this, the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) revised textbooks in 2013 to include climate-related topics in subjects like Bangladesh and Global Studies, Elementary Science, and Agricultural Studies, ensuring that these issues are linked to local environmental conditions such as salinity intrusion and soil erosion.

The National Plan for Disaster Management (NPDM) 2021–2025, guided by the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015–30), promotes weaving disaster awareness into both formal and non-formal education. The National Strategy on the Management of Disaster and Climate-Induced Internal Displacement (NSMDCIID) 2015 requires schools to enroll displaced children—even those without academic records—so that migration does not permanently derail their studies.

The Education Sector Plan (ESP) 2020 positions climate resilience as a cross-cutting issue, aiming to infuse climate adaptability throughout the educational system by 2024. Further solidifying these efforts, the National Curriculum Framework 2021 identifies climate and environment as one of the ten learning areas and to be integrated as an interdisciplinary learning area across all subjects.

Additionally, Bangladesh's National Adaptation Plan (2023-50) proposes building climate-resilient educational facilities and revising curricula to better equip children with the knowledge to understand and cope with climate change, addressing broader social issues such as child abuse and early marriage exacerbated by climate impacts.

Even with these strategic indicators, implementation often falls short, as highlighted by a UNDP (2021) report on the gap between policy intentions and educational outcomes in Bangladesh. In NAP (2030-50) for example, despite documenting several education and curriculum development projects, no education-related ministries or departments, (e.g., MoE, MoPME, DSHE, SHED, MOMTE, TMED, etc.) have given any "lead" or "supporting" role as implementing entities, leaving questions about their practical implementation.

There are no explicit guidelines for building teachers' capacity in climate education, which is concerning. Educators, particularly in rural areas, often lack the training and modern resources needed to effectively teach climate topics, leaving much of the content theoretical and poorly integrated into practical classroom instruction.

Moreover, there is no national system to track the effectiveness of climate education in reaching or being retained by students. The National Assessment of Secondary Students (NASS) focuses on basic subjects like Bengali, English, and mathematics, but does not include questions on climate change communication, or education.

These shortcomings are well reflected in climate literacy outcomes. Despite the formal inclusion of climate topics in education, a large gap remains in comprehension and practical application.

Research shows that while 87% of teachers claim to cover climate themes in their lessons, 71% answered at least one basic climate-related question incorrectly. Only 3% of Grade 8 students could correctly answer six fundamental climate change questions, highlighting the disconnect between policy and learning outcomes.

Additionally, textbooks primarily focus on cognitive aspects, such as scientific principles and pollution consequences, while neglecting socioemotional and behavioral dimensions. Without opportunities for practical action, students experience increased climate anxiety rather than empowerment.

Furthermore, climate content remains poorly integrated across subjects, as recommended in the National Education Policy 2010 and the National Curriculum Framework 2021. Many chapters are added without coherence between grade levels, and subjects like literature, mathematics, and religious studies still exclude climate and disaster-related topics.

To effectively embed climate education, the World Bank proposes a strategic approach for policymakers focused on three main areas: "Foundations First," ensuring that students acquire basic skills through climate-related content, thereby enhancing STEM outcomes and narrowing gender gaps in science fields. This approach avoids burdening already packed curricula, which can be counterproductive if teachers are not adequately consulted or supported.

Then, the "Mainstream Climate Curriculum" calls for developing practical, relevant content that teachers can easily incorporate into lessons, connecting educational material to community action and future job markets. For example, a reading lesson could involve an article on eco-friendly building materials, while a math lesson might explore the potential rise in sea levels if Antarctic ice were to melt.

Lastly, "Build Teacher Capacity" aims to deepen teachers' understanding of climate issues and improve their teaching skills, supported by access to high-quality resources and ongoing professional development.

UNESCO's greening curriculum guidelines also provide a comprehensive and step-by-step process for climate education that goes beyond traditional learning to include emotional engagement and practical skills. UNICEF's school safety initiatives in India and Kazakhstan's UniSat project, which teaches girls nanosatellite development and data analytics, could be a good example for Bangladesh to effectively integrate actionable climate pedagogy into existing curricula.

South Korea's National Curriculum Framework, which progressively introduces students to complex environmental issues, culminating in advanced renewable energy and STEM projects as well as Morocco's One Student, One Tree initiative actively involving students in reforestation can also serve as a model for Bangladesh to develop stage-specific climate education that encourages practical action and reduces climate anxiety.

Empowering teachers by providing disaster resilience training, and positioning them as community leaders in climate action like the Philippines do could be another very effective way to enhance teachers' capacity development. Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS) is well-positioned to do this since it is already mandated to establish volunteer teams across educational institutes from grades 6 to 12.

By expanding and effectively implementing these programs, Bangladesh can ensure that its educational framework not only imparts knowledge but also cultivates the skills and attitudes necessary for students to actively participate in climate solutions.

Whether designing a climate-inclusive curriculum, teachers' capacity development, or building resilient infrastructure, it all comes down to money. Of the total climate budget of Bangladesh, the education sector receives about 8.61%, with uneven distribution across ministries. The Ministry of Primary and Mass Education (MoPME) gets a notable 7.06% of its 2024–25 budget for climate-relevant projects like cyclone-resistant schools and school-feeding programs.

In contrast, the Secondary and Higher Education Division (SHED) allocates only 1.77% of its budget to climate initiatives, focusing mainly on risk management and public education without substantial infrastructure or curricular changes. The Technical and Madrasa Education Division (TMED) dedicates just 0.93% of its funds to climate resilience, targeting capacity-building in technical education that teaches green technology and sustainable agriculture.

As the climate crisis, like air pollution, intensifies and contributes to over 159,000 deaths annually to become the leading risk factor for death in the country, the real question is not whether we can afford to invest in climate education. The question is, can we afford not to?

With the urgent need for innovative solutions to environmental challenges and a significant shift in behaviour, climate education remains our only way out. While, formal education must remain the cornerstone of climate learning to equip individuals with the knowledge, skills, and mindset to confront this global challenge, non-formal and informal education should complement these efforts, enhancing their reach and impact.

The stakes have never been higher, but neither has the opportunity to make a difference. Education has the power to transform societies, and what we teach today will shape the world of tomorrow.

Elahi Rawshan is a climate educator and a Graduate of Harvard Graduate School of Education. His email address is: [emailprotected]

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.