The impact of climate and environmental change on education in Rwanda

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Following research into climate change and education in Kenya, Education Development Trust (EDT) are undertaking research to better understand the relationship between climate and environmental change and education in Rwanda. This working paper outlines emerging findings from a survey with school leaders across the country.

Rwanda has experienced temperature increases of 1.4°C since 1970, higher than the global average of approximately 0.8°C (Climate portal, 2022). The impact of climate change and temperature increases in Rwanda has been largely under-researched, with a need for gaps to be filled to better inform policy decision making and understand educational priorities. This working paper focuses on emerging findings from the school leader survey, with a total of 273 responses from school leaders across all 30 districts in Rwanda.

School leaders responding to our survey reported on the negative impacts of climate change on their local communities and their schools directly. Some of the key findings include:

75% of school leaders reported their schools and/or local communities had been negatively impacted by climate change at least once in recent years, with the most frequent weather events including drought, strong winds and landslides.
52% of school leaders reported school buildings have experienced damage as a result of extreme weather events, with 74% of those leaders reporting having to divert funds from teaching and learning towards repairs.
21% of school leaders reported climate events to have had a significant impact on students’ attendance, with a further 58% reporting a small negative impact.
22% of school leaders reported a significant negative impact on students’ concentration, with a further 53% reporting a small negative impact.

EDT’s working papers identify key issues which remain underexplored in current education research and employ robust research methods to conduct a preliminary investigation, culminating in recommendations for further research and relevant insights for policymakers and practitioners. Our working papers are commissioned by EDT and peer-reviewed by EDT’s research team.

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The impact of climate and environmental change on education in Rwanda: a survey of school leaders

Rwanda has experienced temperature increases of 1.4°C since 1970, higher than the global average of approximately 0.8°C.2,3 It is expected that, as soon as the 2030s, Rwanda will experience temperature increases of a further 0.6°C. Rwanda’s Climate Action Plan outlines climate change mitigation strategies focused upon agriculture, energy, waste and industry, with cross-sectoral adaptation priorities identified.4 This multi-sectoral way of considering the impacts of climate change could be strengthened further through the inclusion of education.

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