The New Normal: Delhi-NCR Kids Lose 30+ School Days a Year to Heat and Pollution
As unplanned school closures become more common, parents say the disruptions are unsettling their kids' routines.
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Extreme heat, heavy rain, and polluted air are increasingly disrupting children's lives—often without warning.
A new report by UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring (GEM) team, along with the Monitoring and Evaluating Climate Communication and Education project, has found that children exposed to unusually high temperatures during pregnancy and early childhood may lose up to 1.5 years of schooling due to climate-related school closures.
High temperatures have been linked to lower test scores, reduced high school graduation rates, and fewer college admissions.
In Delhi-NCR alone, students missed an estimated 30 to 40 school days over the past year due to sudden weather-related closures, according to parents The Quint spoke with. The impact goes beyond academics.
“It feels bad,” says eight-year-old Ranvir, when asked how he feels about schools shutting down suddenly due to extreme weather. “It gets boring at home. I don’t have anything to do,” he adds.
'No School Today'
As such unplanned school closures become more common, parents say the disruptions are unsettling their kids' routines.
“It’s a very sad situation,” says Vandana, 48, who runs a small home boutique in Delhi, where she lives with her husband and two children, 11-year-old Kian and 13-year-old Kiara.
“We prepare for school like any other day. The kids sleep on time, eat on time, and wake up at 5:30 am to get ready. Then at 6:00 or 6:15, we get a message saying school is shut,” She adds, “There have been times when they’re already on their way, catching the bus, and we’re told the school is closed. They come back home looking sad and irritated.”
Ranvir’s mother, Rasneet Kaur, a 42-year-old marketing professional based in Gurugram, echoes Vandana’s sentiment.
"A disruption in the routine is not good for anyone," she says.
Increased Health Risks
This is more than just an inconvenience.
Preeti, a public policy professional, says she’s noticed her eight-year-old son Shanay's health deteriorate over the years.
She recounts how two years ago, Shanay, then just six years old, suffered a heat stroke that caused him to have a prolonged nerve issue.
“He had twitching in his neck, and we couldn’t understand what was happening,” Preeti recalls.
Even today, Shanay occasionally experiences similar episodes, his mother says.
Such cases are becoming increasingly common as extreme heat events grow more frequent and intense. Young children like Shanay are especially vulnerable to heat-related illnesses, explains Dr Poonam Sidana, a Delhi-based paediatrician.
“A heat stroke occurs when the body’s core temperature exceeds 104°F,” she says. “In kids, it can happen quickly—they might not recognise thirst or fatigue, and before you know it, they may faint, have seizures, or show abnormal movements.”
She also points to a rise in asthma, respiratory infections, skin conditions, and allergies among children. “It may not always seem serious, but it adds up. A child sneezing all morning, unable to concentrate or sleep well—it affects their school attendance and overall quality of life.”
Many children, she adds, are now on long-term anti-allergy medication just to get through the day. “But for how long can that be the answer?”
Disrupted Play and Learning
It’s not just children’s health that’s being affected by the climate crisis. Like Dr Sirdana said, their quality of life is taking a hit too—from shrinking playtime to limited social interaction, childhood is slowly being pushed indoors.
Outdoor sports are often the first to go. “Around January, we were supposed to go for PE (Physical Education),” recalls Ranvir. “But the teachers said we couldn’t because it was too polluted and people might get sick. So we had indoor PE, which was very boring. They just showed us videos.”
More time indoors often translates to more "screentime". For parents, this is becoming a growing concern.
“The problem isn’t that they’re home,” says Vandana. “The problem is, what do they do at home? They just sit on their computers for six to seven hours."
Soumya Jagatdeb, a Delhi-based child psychologist and narrative practitioner, says this is one of the most common complaints she hears from parents today.
“There’s a growing disconnect within families,” she explains.
She adds that school, which once offered space for unstructured social interaction like chatting between classes, playing during breaks, or informal conversations with teachers, is increasingly viewed as just a place for academics. “That shift affects how children experience school itself, and parents are right to feel concerned.”
Preeti, Shanay’s mother, has noticed how this shift has impacted her son’s personality. “He’s started calling himself shy,” she says. “He’s more withdrawn in his body language and communication. He avoids meeting people unless necessary. I don’t think he was born that way — it’s the environment that’s shaped him into someone more introverted.”
Without regular people-contact and peer interaction, children's social development suffers, says Jagatdeb. And with climate-related disruptions increasingly keeping them indoors, a generation is quietly being shaped by forces far beyond their control.
Fear for the Future and the Emotional Toll on Kids
While the physical effects of climate change on children are visible, the emotional and psychological impacts often go unnoticed. Yet, they’re very real.
“Children are beginning to ask quiet but serious questions around climate inaction,” says Jagatdeb. “They may not express anger openly, or speak directly about weather disruptions, but the anxiety often shows up in conversations about the future.”
She recalls working with a young child during a career counselling session. “They said to me, ‘What’s the point of planning for the future if we’re not going to be here?’"
That sense of looming uncertainty is showing up more and more, even in casual conversations. Parents are noticing it too.
Rasneet echoes the concern. “These are not things kids should be thinking about. But unfortunately, that’s the world we live in now.”
She reminisces about her own childhood summers that was made up of outdoor adventures, carefree travel, and endless play.
“It’s not the same for our kids. Yes, they have longer breaks, but summer now means staying indoors, going to malls, or planning trips just to escape the heat. I don’t even remember the weather ever being a damper for us,” she says.
Jagatdeb believes that increased indoor time and digital interaction have disrupted the natural rhythm and structure children once relied on.
“We need to proactively create spaces where kids can talk about what they’re feeling,” she says. “Not every child has the vocabulary to talk about climate anxiety and climate inaction. But through stories, metaphors, and open conversations, we can help them process what’s happening.”