The sweltering heat gripping India has reached unprecedented levels this summer, forcing schools across the country to shut their doors for extended periods. Temperatures soaring above 41C have led to directives for schools in Delhi and over half of India's 28 states to remain closed from mid-May until the end of June, coinciding with the usual summer break. While exact figures on past closures are scarce, school officials confirm a marked increase in the number of heat-related closures in recent years, placing immense pressure on families.
For working women, these extended closures are particularly acute, as they often bear the primary responsibility for childcare. Take Sakshi Katyal, a mother living in Noida, part of greater Delhi's National Capital Region. When she received the sudden school closure notification in February, it proved to be a turning point. Having already relocated closer to her daughter's school and taken on a less demanding role to manage previous disruptions, Katyal felt compelled to resign from her position due to the impossibility of balancing work demands with childcare responsibilities. This decision has left her family reliant on a single income, exacerbating financial pressures including a monthly mortgage of approximately £390.
This situation is echoed across various socio-economic strata. In Nai Basti, a densely populated neighbourhood in south-east Delhi's Okhla area, 24-year-old domestic helper Zeenat Khatoon faces similar dilemmas. Her seven-year-old daughter's government school has been closed for an estimated seven months out of the past year due to heatwaves and pollution. Unable to stay home, Khatoon struggles to balance her income-generating work with ensuring her child's education, opting instead to pay a local woman £6 a month to supervise her children – a cost covered by reducing grocery spending. This highlights the difficult choices many low-income families are forced to make.
The increasing frequency and intensity of heatwaves in India, beginning as early as April this year, have created a new normal that demands significant adaptation from its populace. For hundreds of thousands of parents, the challenge of managing both their jobs and children during prolonged school closures is becoming an enduring feature of the climate crisis. As childcare responsibilities continue to fall disproportionately on women, the societal and economic ramifications for India's female workforce are considerable, threatening to reverse gains in gender equality and economic empowerment.
While this issue primarily affects India, the broader implications for global development and climate resilience are pertinent. The disruption to education and the workforce in a major developing economy could have ripple effects, demonstrating the far-reaching consequences of climate change beyond immediate health impacts. Organisations and governments must consider these repercussions when devising strategies to address the climate crisis.
In this regard, India's experience serves as a poignant reminder of the need for global cooperation to develop effective climate resilience measures. By learning from India's struggles and adapting solutions to suit local contexts, the international community can better equip itself to mitigate the effects of climate change on education, economies, and societies worldwide.