Learning in a Warming World: Impact of Climate Change on Child Education in Rural Schools in Lupane, Zimbabwe
摘要
Providing children with a conducive learning environment has always been crucial for educators seeking to enhance performance and development in formal schools. Traditionally, educators have always strived to create a conducive learning environment by focusing on physical space, psychological safety, and learner engagement. However, the effects of climate change, such as increase in temperatures, have created ovens in schools where learners and facilitators face new challenges that hinder effective learning and development. This chapter addresses critical gaps in Zimbabwe’s climate–children’s rights nexus by examining how rising temperatures systematically undermine children's rights to education in rural contexts. It explores various insights and experiences regarding the effects of climate change on primary school learners in the rural areas of Lupane. The study centres on how climate-related events, such as extreme weather and water scarcity, disrupt learning and learners’ well-being. Mixed research design was used. Questionnaire survey was used to collect quantitative data. Observations and document analysis were used to colect qualitative data. The primary study findings indicate that climate change produces social, academic, and psychological effects on learners, affecting academic performance and increasing stress and anxiety. The chapter demonstrates how climate-induced educational disruptions constitute violations of children’s rights as articulated in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC). The chapter concludes with recommendations on how various actors may combine efforts to reduce the effects of climate change on learners in Lupane while advancing climate justice imperatives for Zimbabwe’s rural children.