Children in Coastal Areas Dropping Out of School Due to Climate Change; Disasters Disrupt Education, Increasing Child Labor

At an age when Durjoy Sana should be going to school with books and notebooks, he is instead catching crabs and fish in the rivers of the Sundarbans. On some days during high tide, he earns Tk 500–600; on other days during low tide, he returns home empty-handed. The child, from Mathurapur Jelepara (fishing community) in Shyamnagar, Satkhira, dropped out of school while in third grade. Now, like his father and grandfather, the Sundarbans is his workplace.

The story of Durjoy’s older brother, Joy Sana, is even more tragic. He had to leave school while studying in eighth grade at Banshree Shiksha Niketan. His family says he became mentally distressed after being beaten and humiliated by teachers for failing to keep up with his studies. At one point, Joy even attempted suicide. Now both brothers work with their family in fishing.

The stories of Durjoy and Joy are not isolated incidents. The communities in remote areas of Shyamnagar, Munshiganj and Ashashuni in Satkhira, near the Sundarbans, are repeatedly affected by frequent cyclones, tidal surges and floods caused or intensified by climate change. Many families lose their homes and livelihoods and become poorer. And that pressure ultimately falls on children’s education.

Chhoneka Sana, the mother of Durjoy and Joy from Mathurapur Jelepara, said their homes were destroyed by disasters such as Aila, Amphan, Bulbul and Remal, while saline water spread throughout the area. When her husband’s fishing activities came to a halt, the family faced even greater hardship. Although they tried to send their children to school, poverty and their experiences of humiliation at school eventually forced them to stop their education.

Mohammad Abdul Karim, head teacher of Joy’s school, Banshree Shiksha Niketan in Harinagar, described a similar situation. According to him, natural disasters have become more frequent because of climate change. River erosion wipes out the homes and sources of income of low-income families. Some children go into the Sundarbans to fish with their parents. After being disconnected from school for several months, children no longer want to return easily.

He further said, “When teachers pressure them to study, they don’t want to come to school. When their families pressure them to attend, they say, ‘They beat me. They hurt me emotionally. They humiliate me. If you pressure me too much, I will commit suicide.’ In this situation, parents also become lenient toward their children.”

Parents are then forced to say, “Let him stop studying. He has no future in education,” blaming everything on fate. This too contributes to students dropping out.

From Disasters to Poverty, and From Poverty to Child Labor

The impact of climate change on school dropout among coastal children is direct and multifaceted. Disasters destroy livelihoods, making families poorer; children then become part of the household workforce. Some go to the Sundarbans to catch crabs, while others work in brick kilns. Many girls are married off at an early age. Mobile-phone and drug addiction are additional problems. Alongside climate change, parental unawareness and poor communication systems also contribute to students dropping out.

Rozina, a second-grade student at West Para Government Primary School No. 153 in Pratapnagar, Ashashuni, also has to go to a brick kiln with her family. Because of poverty, her mother, Rebeka, travels to brick kilns in Barishal every year during the Bengali month of Kartik. Since there is no one to look after the children, she has to take her two daughters with her. The girls’ education remains suspended for the entire period they stay at the brick kiln. After returning several months later, they fall behind regular students. Eventually, they become reluctant to return to school.

Photo: Rozina with her mother. Credit: Rita Bhowmik

Tanzim-ul-Islam, a student at Jelekhali Tripani Vidyapith in Munshiganj, said many of his classmates who had studied with him since first grade are no longer in school. Some work with their parents at brick kilns or in the Sundarbans. Some have become addicted to mobile phones, while others have become involved with drugs. He also said that students’ behavior is changing because they are mixing with local troublemakers.

Chandnimukha Government Primary School No. 53 in Gabura is operating with only three teachers. Acting head teacher Rashida Khatun said, “Poor students collect their books in January and leave with their parents to work at brick kilns in February. They return to school six months later when their parents come back to the village. Regular students move ahead academically, while these children fall behind.”

Ahsan Ullah, head teacher of Pashemari Government Primary School No. 54, said the same thing.

According to him, the first factor behind student dropout is geographical location, and the second is poverty. Men in this disaster-prone area often stay away from home for six months. They take their wives with them for cooking work and take their children along as well.

Climate change has also severely affected transportation and access to safe drinking water. The water at the school is so saline that it is difficult even to touch, let alone drink. There is also a shortage of teachers. There are only four teachers for 255 students, while a neighboring school has two teachers for 200 students. As a result, “we cannot provide 100 percent of the education our students need.” Most parents are working people. Before completing primary education, they put their children to work as well.

Schools Become Both Educational Institutions and Shelters

Another major impact of climate change is on the normal functioning of schools. During cyclones, tidal surges and floods, many schools in coastal areas are used as shelters. Some schools are damaged or destroyed by disasters. As a result, classes remain suspended for extended periods. Many students do not want to return to school after the disaster is over.

Students in Gabura, Munshiganj and Pratapnagar in Ashashuni, Satkhira, reported the same situation.

Badsha Islam, a student at Gabura G.L.M. Secondary School, said, “Many students from sixth to tenth grade are being pushed out of education because of frequent disasters. During disasters, the school is used as a shelter. The school remains closed for several days. During this period, because of financial hardship in their families, boys go to work at brick kilns, while some girls are married off.”

Mohammad Jalal Uddin, acting head teacher of Gabura Gainbari Government Primary School No. 55, said schools become shelters during various natural disasters. In his view, this damages students’ education.

Natural disasters also limit people’s earning opportunities. Families cannot survive on this reduced income. As a result, fathers are forced to try to put their school-going children into various occupations. They think that one or two sons need to earn money to keep the family running.

Once a boy starts earning, he has money in his hands. He may buy a smartphone and mix with older boys or children who have already gone astray. Through smartphones, they may become further involved in harmful activities. Some also become addicted to drugs. When elders try to talk to them, they react differently. Instead of explaining or disciplining their sons, parents often take the child’s side.

He said, “Along with social disruption, this is also harming children’s mental health.”

 

Photo: Students crossing a broken footbridge on their way to and from school. Credit: Rita Bhowmik

The Burden of Early Marriage for GirlsWhen family incomes decline because of climate change, girls face a range of additional risks. Because of concerns about safety and poverty, many families marry off their daughters at an early age.

Tanushree Mondal, a tenth-grade student at Sundarban Secondary Girls’ School in Munshiganj, said several of her classmates were married between seventh and tenth grade. They left school after getting married, and she no longer has contact with them.

According to S. M. Yasminur Rahman, head teacher of Gabura G.L.M. Secondary School (Gabura Gopal Lakshmi Memorial Secondary School), climate change pushes families from poverty into even deeper poverty. Poverty is the main reason students drop out. Boys go to brick kilns or the Sundarbans at an early age, while girls are married off.

Returning Children to School Alone Is Not Enough

Satkhira District Education Officer Mohammad Alamgir Kabir said life in disaster-prone areas is different from that in other parts of the country. Because of poverty, children join their parents in various occupations, making their school attendance irregular. There is also a tendency toward child marriage. To prevent dropout, if a student is absent for three consecutive days, schools need to contact the parents quickly and take steps to bring the child back from child labor and into education.

However, the reality is that simply bringing children back to school will not solve the problem. When a child’s labor contributes to household income, it is difficult to keep that child in school without providing the family with economic security. Likewise, in areas where schools repeatedly become shelters during disasters, ensuring continuity of education is difficult without alternative arrangements.

At the same time, children’s mental health remains largely outside the awareness of teachers and education authorities.

Research Also Shows the Impact of Climate Change

Under ActionAid Bangladesh’s 2023 “Fund Our Future” campaign, a survey of 300 children aged 13–18 in eight disaster-prone districts found that more than 40 percent said their education had been disrupted by one or more climate-related problems. They cited issues such as prolonged school closures, damaged roads after floods, and disrupted transportation because of tidal water.

A 2026 UNICEF study, Rising to the Challenge: Youth Perspective on Climate Change and Education in Bangladesh, surveyed 5,586 students aged 15–24. The report said climate change is negatively affecting the education of 78 percent of young people in this age group in Bangladesh. Twenty-three percent said they were unable to attend educational institutions regularly, while 18 percent reported that their families were unable to support the continuation of their education.

Information gathered through field visits to primary and secondary schools in three unions of Shyamnagar and Ashashuni upazilas of Satkhira also shows changes in student enrollment.

In seven government primary schools in Gabura, there were 1,622 students in 2024. In 2025, the number fell to 1,548. In three schools in Munshiganj, enrollment fell from 642 to 619. Across the three unions, the total number of primary-level students fell from 2,675 to 2,593.

In the seven government primary schools of Gabura Union, boys accounted for 49.38 percent and girls 50.62 percent of students in 2024. In 2025, boys accounted for 48.39 percent and girls 51.61 percent. Gabura’s share of total primary-level students was 60.64 percent in 2024 and 59.70 percent in 2025. The student dropout rate increased.

Total Primary-School Students and Students Who Dropped Out

In the three primary schools of Munshiganj Union, boys accounted for 49.38 percent and girls 50.62 percent of students in 2024. In 2025, boys accounted for 51.05 percent and girls 48.95 percent. The union’s share of total primary-level students was 24.00 percent in 2024 and 23.87 percent in 2025. The student dropout rate increased.

In the two primary schools of Pratapnagar Union in Ashashuni, boys accounted for 44.77 percent and girls 55.23 percent of students in 2024. In 2025, boys accounted for 45.54 percent and girls 54.46 percent. The union’s share of total primary-level students was 15.36 percent in 2024 and 16.43 percent in 2025. The student dropout rate decreased.

Across the three unions combined, boys accounted for 48.67 percent and girls 51.33 percent of students in 2024; in 2025, boys accounted for 48.55 percent and girls 51.45 percent.

Total primary-school students and students and dropped out, Photo: Rita Bhowmick

Total Secondary-School Students and Students Who Dropped Out

In the three secondary schools of Gabura Union, boys accounted for 41.16 percent and girls 58.84 percent of students in 2024. In 2025, boys accounted for 43.12 percent and girls 56.88 percent. Gabura’s share of total secondary-level students was 47.52 percent in 2024 and 50.20 percent in 2025. The dropout rate among boys decreased, while the dropout rate among girls increased.

Total secondary -school students and students and dropped out, Photo: Rita Bhowmick

An Integrated Approach Is Needed to Protect the Coastal Future from Climate Change

The crisis of children dropping out of school because of climate change is not only an education issue. It is also linked to child labor, child marriage, safety and mental health.

Rasheda K. Chowdhury, executive director of the Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE), said, “Climate change is affecting not only livelihoods and ways of life but also education. Because of disasters, drugs and insecurity, students are experiencing a kind of trauma.”

Dr. Nazneen Ahmed, executive director of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), believes that in addition to raising parents’ awareness, incentives are needed to keep children from extremely poor families in school amid climate change.

Psychologist Monira Rahman also emphasized the importance of accessible mental-health services at the grassroots level. Children who drop out because of climate-related disasters, poverty, child marriage, family pressure and insecurity are prematurely forced into adult responsibilities. This can lead to frustration, anger and emotional distress, and even suicidal tendencies.

New Government Initiatives

Bobby Hajjaj, State Minister for Primary and Mass Education, said Satkhira faces both the challenges of climate change and difficult geographical conditions. Work is underway to introduce special measures for students and teachers. To prevent dropout, she also mentioned plans for mid-day meals, uniforms, educational materials and skills-based training for students who have dropped out.

But the stories of Durjoy and Joy beside the Sundarbans, and Rozina in Pratapnagar, show that simply putting books into children’s hands will not be enough.

Climate-affected families must be supported so that they can survive. Effective measures must be taken to eliminate child labor. Child marriage must be prevented. Disaster-resilient schools and safe transportation must be ensured.

Because when a coastal child picks up a basket for catching crabs instead of books and notebooks, carries a load at a brick kiln instead of a schoolbag, or sits dressed for a wedding instead of attending class, it is not merely one child’s education that comes to a halt—the future of the entire coastal region is put at risk.

Md Biozid Jessorey