The struggle of South African schools against extreme weather

Flooded school sports grounds in KwaZulu-Natal after heavy storms in April 2022. (Photo: Gallo Images / Darren Stewart)

By Takudzwa Pongweni

25 Feb 2025

As extreme weather events continue to ravage South Africa, schools face unprecedented challenges. From flooded classrooms to collapsed infrastructure, the educational system is struggling to keep up.

Severe weather swept across South Africa last week, bringing intense thunderstorms, flash flooding and reports of tornadoes. The South African Weather Service issued warnings for provinces in the central and eastern regions, highlighting the risks of torrential rainfall, strong winds, hail and lightning. The combination of treacherous roads, poor drainage systems and collapsing ceilings in classrooms led to widespread disruptions in education.

Elijah Mhlanga, spokesperson for the Department of Basic Education, said that in North West, where a large part of the province was affected, the head of department issued a circular advising communities to be cautious. Twenty-seven schools were affected. Some were rendered inaccessible and others severely damaged by the continuous heavy rains.

Flooded school sports grounds in KwaZulu-Natal after heavy storms in April 2022. (Photo: Gallo Images / Darren Stewart)

In Limpopo’s Waterberg district, schools were forced to close for the week due to severe flooding, leaving students and teachers in limbo. While schools in the Eastern Cape remained unaffected, tragedy struck when two learners, aged 13 and 14, were swept away by floodwaters. The pupils, from Mhlanga Secondary School in Lusikisiki, were released early due to the heavy rainfall. Unfortunately, as they attempted to cross a river on their way home, the strong current swept them away. The heart-wrenching incident highlights the severe dangers posed by extreme weather and the devastating impact it can have on communities.

Education systems vulnerable to climate change

According to a recent United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (Unicef) report, at least 242 million children across 85 countries underwent disruptions to education in 2024 due to extreme weather events such as heatwaves, cyclones and flooding. This amounted to one in seven children missing school at some point because of climate-related disasters. The report further highlighted the widespread destruction of schools, particularly in low-income regions such as sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia, where the education system is already vulnerable.

A 2024 SECTION27 report echoed these concerns, pointing out that climate change impacts had made the education sector especially vulnerable.

Floods and extreme temperatures destroy infrastructure and disrupt learning, while issues such as food insecurity, pollution and health problems add to the strain. In areas prone to flooding, roads become impassable, schools are forced to close and students struggle to access education.

The ongoing threat of climate-related disruptions is exacerbating inequalities, particularly in developing countries, where many children – especially those from low-income households – lack resources such as internet access and technology to continue their education during crises. Human Rights Watch research has shown that school closures, whether due to disasters or other factors, disproportionately affect these children, leaving them with fewer opportunities to continue their learning.

Surviving the storm

Unicef issued a stark warning that the global education system was largely unprepared to handle the impacts of extreme weather events.

This concern underscores the growing need for stronger resilience strategies. In 2022, Reece da Costa and Jeanique Serradinho from the International Federation of the Red Cross highlighted the importance of disaster risk reduction and enhancing community resilience in South Africa. Their call to action was spurred by devastating floods and landslides that affected parts of KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape, which left communities grappling with the long-term impacts of extreme weather.

To better prepare schools for disasters such as flash flooding, South Africa must consider strengthening its disaster risk management framework. This could begin with revisiting the Disaster Management Act to ensure that risk assessments incorporate community-driven data.

Enhancing early-warning systems and improving coordination between local education departments and stakeholders will also be crucial. Allocating more resources for disaster preparedness and risk reduction at the local level can equip schools with the necessary resources for both immediate response and long-term resilience. A comprehensive, multisector approach is essential to ensure that schools and communities are better equipped to face future extreme weather events.

Research shows that schools with strong crisis management teams respond more effectively during emergencies. Each school should form a crisis team that works with the community to assess available resources, such as medical equipment, mental health services and care plans for students with special healthcare needs.

Comprehensive evacuation plans are also essential. These should include clearly marked routes, communicated to staff and students, with everyone trained on their roles during a disaster.

Loretta Feris, a researcher and professor of environmental law, emphasised the importance of the Department of Basic Education ensuring that all schools establish a risk framework to address the impact of extreme weather events driven by climate change.

This framework should prioritise the identification, anticipation, management, and mitigation of these risks. Additionally, each school should have a business continuity plan in place to maintain operations during disruptions.

Nicholas King, an environmental futurist, argued that the government had the potential to do more in strengthening resilience against climate-related disasters such as fires, droughts, heatwaves and floods, which continued to threaten children’s education.

Building Back Better

Disaster recovery strategies for schools should focus on restoring infrastructure and resuming teaching as quickly as possible. A collaborative approach between school crisis response teams and local, provincial and national organisations is crucial to addressing the diverse needs that arise after a disaster.

However, returning to the classroom after a disaster does not automatically mean that students are ready to engage with their learning. Experts advise that recovery should focus on restoring personal lives and damaged infrastructure first.

Support from parents and school staff is essential to help children process the traumatic event and return to their routines. Ensuring access to mental health resources and therapies is vital for promoting healing and restoring normal school operations.

Mhlanga said the closure of schools presented a challenge for school principals and senior management teams, who had to now develop a plan to catch up on missed lessons and stay aligned with the prescribed curriculum timelines. He emphasised that while there was a need for more school infrastructure, the department also faced the additional financial burden of repairing schools affected by weather events. DM

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South Africa

Education systems vulnerable to climate change

Surviving the storm

Building Back Better