Climate Change Outcomes and Educational Development: Implications of Flooding on Children's Well-Being and School Attendance in Bayelsa State, Nigeria

This study examines the disruptive effects of climate-induced flooding on children’s rights to educational development, well-being and school attendance in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. It emphasizes the consequences of extensive flooding events on achieving SDG 4 and early childhood development in Bayelsa State. It utilizes the qualitative method as its framework for data collection and analysis. Secondary and primary data sources were scholarly publications, surveys, and interviews conducted with parents, pupils, and teachers from a specific set of public primary schools. The study focuses on three main questions: (i) the influence of flood events on children’s access to education, well-being, and school attendance; (ii) flood impacts on school's instructional resources and physical infrastructure; and (iii) the strategic response to flooding in an educational system that is sustainable, adaptive, and resilient. The results indicate that flood events caused by climate change have both immediate and long-term adverse effects on children’s educational development and well-being across various dimensions. Nonetheless, these impacts remain poorly documented, coupled with inadequate flood disaster risk reduction policies for schools in the State. The study emphasizes the need to build climate-resistant school facilities and incorporate climate change adaptation strategies into policies governing education in the State. The study concludes that sustainable and actionable policies should be considered to guarantee children's right to education and development during flood emergencies.