Beyond Climate: The Impact of Climate Change on Education in Zimbabwe
When drought, poverty, and environmental vulnerability become barriers to school access.
When people talk about climate change, they often think of melting glaciers, rising sea levels, or distant environmental disasters. But for millions of children around the world, climate change is already much closer to home: it takes the form of failing crops, empty water containers, and lost days of school.
In Zimbabwe, all of this increasingly translates into an obstacle to education.
Zimbabwe contributes less than 0.1% of global greenhouse gas emissions, yet it is one of the countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Thus, while the causes of climate change are global, the consequences are deeply local.
In recent decades, Zimbabwe has recorded rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns, and increasingly frequent droughts. Between 1970 and 2016, average annual temperatures steadily increased while rainfall declined. Looking ahead, projections indicate a temperature increase between 1 and 1.5°C by 2040, with the potential to exceed 3°C by 2050 depending on global emission trends. Average rainfall is also projected to decrease further, with significant regional variations (Climate Change / Zimbabwe | Interactive Country Fiches, n.d.).
For communities already facing economic hardship, these changes are not abstract future scenarios: they are daily realities.
The Effects of the Climate Crisis on Families and Communities
Zimbabwe's economy and livelihoods remain heavily tied to agriculture. Agriculture accounts for about 67% of national employment, and roughly 80% of crops rely on rainfall rather than irrigation systems. This means that climate change directly impacts household income, food availability, and domestic stability. Over the past fifteen years, Zimbabwe has already seen a gradual decline in maize yields—one of the country's primary crops—contributing to growing food insecurity in many areas (Climate Change / Zimbabwe | Interactive Country Fiches, n.d.).
When harvests become unpredictable, families are forced to make difficult decisions, and the first consequence often falls on education. Children may stay home to contribute to household income, care for younger siblings, walk farther to collect water, or help their families navigate times of crisis (UNESCO, n.d.).
And these effects do not hit everyone equally.
When Existing Vulnerabilities Are Amplified
Zimbabwe already faces stark disparities in educational outcomes across regions and socioeconomic groups. School completion rates vary significantly from one province to another. Bulawayo, Midlands, and Harare generally record better results, while provinces such as Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East, Matabeleland North, and Masvingo show upper secondary completion rates below 10%.
Where you live matters: two-thirds of children who do not complete school live in rural areas. Children from the poorest economic brackets account for more than half of those who do not finish primary and lower secondary school. Learning outcomes follow the exact same pattern: most children who fail to achieve foundational reading and mathematics skills come from rural areas, with poverty remaining one of the most decisive factors (UNICEF, 2021).
Climate change does not create these inequalities; rather, it intensifies the pressure on every pre-existing vulnerability. In this way, a drought and a difficult farming season become a matter of school attendance.
Building Resilient Communities Through Education
Climate change and education are often treated as separate issues. In reality, they are deeply interconnected. Communities impacted by climate effects face school disruptions, strained infrastructure, heightened poverty, health risks, and diminished opportunities. At the same time, education is one of the most powerful tools communities have to adapt. Children who stay in school are more likely to secure stable employment, make informed decisions, strengthen local economies, and contribute to climate solutions within their own communities (UNESCO, n.d.).
For Lovemore, education is far more than access to a classroom. It represents stability, opportunity, and dignity.
Protecting the right to education also means understanding the realities children face outside the classroom walls. Climate change is not just an environmental issue—it is an educational one. As pressures on families and communities continue to mount, ensuring that children can stay in school becomes all the more critical.
Every child deserves the opportunity to learn, regardless of climate conditions. That is why investing in education today means building stronger communities for tomorrow.
