Seven in 10 Children in India missed school due to extreme heat: CRY rapid assessment

Special Correspondent

NewsBits.in

NEW DELHI: Nearly seven in every 10 school-going children surveyed across India have reported missing school or routine activities because of extreme heat.

Meanwhile more than three-fourths said rising temperatures had affected their ability to concentrate on studies, according to a rapid assessment conducted by CRY – Child Rights and You.

The assessment, titled “Feeling the Heat: Children's Voices on Heat, Well-Being and Learning in India”, highlights the growing impact of extreme heat on children's education, health and everyday lives.

Conducted during May and June 2026, the volunteer-led assessment gathered responses from 3,096 school-going children aged 10–17 years across 27 States and Union Territories.

The findings reveal that 88 percent of children felt this year's summer was hotter than previous years. Nearly 68 percent reported missing school or routine activities because of heat-related distress, while 76 percent said the heat negatively affected their ability to focus on studies.

Around 47 percent identified the afternoon as the most difficult part of the day, and more than 45 percent said school hours were particularly uncomfortable, underscoring the challenges children face while learning in increasingly hotter conditions.

The assessment also points to the growing health burden of extreme heat. Nearly 63 percent of children reported experiencing dehydration, 51 percent suffered headaches, and 44 percent experienced extreme fatigue during periods of intense heat.

Heat-related challenges extended beyond schools into children's homes. More than half (53 percent) of the respondents reported frequent power interruptions or overheated living spaces, while nearly three in 10 experienced water shortages, further compounding their discomfort and affecting their daily routines.

 

EXTREME HEAT IMPACT NOT EQUAL FOR ALL

The findings also reveal that the impact of extreme heat is not experienced equally. Around 71 percent of children from families depending on daily-wage or manual labour reported severe heat-related distress, compared to 46 percent of children from other households; highlighting how climate-related risks disproportionately affect children from economically vulnerable communities.

A 17-year-old girl from Jharkhand said, "On a particularly hot day, I found it difficult to concentrate at school because the temperature was extremely high. The classroom felt warm and uncomfortable, and I became tired more quickly than usual. During lessons, it was hard to focus on what the teacher was explaining, and I felt thirsty."

The assessment found that children are not only experiencing the effects of rising temperatures themselves but are also acutely aware of how extreme heat is affecting their parents and caregivers.

Nearly 59 percent said heat had made work more difficult for their parents, while 58 percent noticed changes in their parents' mood or behaviour. Another 43 percent reported increased stress or irritability at home, suggesting that the effects of extreme heat extend well beyond physical discomfort and into family life.

An 11-year-old girl from Delhi said, “My father became very ill because of the heat and couldn't go to work. We couldn't buy vegetables or milk that day... I stayed home to care for him."

Commenting on the findings, Puja Marwaha, CEO, CRY – Child Rights and You, said, "The most valuable aspect of this rapid assessment is that it places children's voices at the centre of the conversation on climate change. While temperature records tell us how hot it is becoming, children tell us what that heat is impacting their lives – how it affects their learning, health, and overall well-being.”

"It’s also important to note that children are not only speaking about themselves. They are telling us about the pressures they see their parents facing, the struggles within their homes, and the simple changes they believe would make life safer during extreme heat. These are immensely valuable insights that policymakers should pay close attention to while strengthening Heat Action Plans and climate adaptation strategies," Puja added.

 

2016-2025 WARMEST DECADE

India witnessed repeated heat wave conditions during the summer of 2026, with temperatures crossing 45°C in several States. Schools in many regions revised timing, curtailed outdoor activities and, in some places, temporarily suspended classes.

According to the Annual Climate Statement 2025 of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), 2024 was India's warmest year on record since 1901, while the decade 2016–2025 was the warmest ever recorded, with 10 of the 15 warmest years occurring during this period.

Growing evidence from India and across the world suggests that extreme heat affects children's physical health, cognitive functioning, learning outcomes, emotional well-being and school participation.

Recent research links extreme heat to lower concentration and learning, with the heaviest effects on children without cooling. Yet children's lived experiences remain largely absent from climate discussions and policy responses. The rapid assessment sought to bridge this gap by placing children's voices at the centre of conversations on climate change and child rights.

Rather than asking for extraordinary solutions, many children spoke about practical changes that could make everyday life safer during periods of extreme heat.

They called for earlier school timings during heat waves, cooler classrooms with functioning fans, access to safe drinking water, more shaded public spaces and greater understanding from adults when heat affects their ability to learn.

For example, one of the respondents appealed, "Please don't scold us when we cannot concentrate because of the heat"; while another said, "Change school timings during very hot days so children don't have to walk home in the afternoon heat."

These voices reinforce that adapting to extreme heat cannot become the responsibility of children alone. Homes, schools and communities must adapt alongside them.

The rapid assessment was carried out by 686 CRY volunteers and interns across 27 States and Union Territories, covering children from urban, peri-urban and underserved communities.

Beyond documenting children's experiences, it demonstrates the potential of volunteer-led listening exercises to generate timely evidence, strengthen civic engagement and bring greater visibility to children's realities in the context of climate change.

A volunteer from Telangana said, “What stayed with me is how strongly the impact of heat is shaped by family circumstances. With a father working long hours outdoors as a security guard and a mother with mobility challenges, the family faced multiple layers of vulnerability. Conversation with the child of this family reinforced how extreme heat disproportionately affects those who already have the least resources to cope.”

 

DATA HIGHLIGHTS

-         88 percent felt this year's summer was hotter than previous years

-         Nearly 68 percent reported missing school or routine activities because of heat-related distress, while 76 percent said the heat negatively affected their ability to focus on studies

-         47 percent identified the afternoon as the most difficult part of the day, while 45 percent said school hours were particularly uncomfortable

-         63percent experienced dehydration, 51 percent suffered headaches, and 44 percent reported extreme fatigue due to heat

-         Children from economically vulnerable households were disproportionately affected, with 71 percent of those from daily-wage or manual labourer families reporting severe heat-related distress, compared with 46 percent from other households.