Gujarat/New Delhi — This year for the first time, Parvathy Ganesan has seen schools in Kerala shut down due to heat waves.
A teacher and volunteer with the Atma Foundation, which works for child protection, education, and health in Kerala, she noted that while school closures were common during floods, they had never happened because of extreme heat before.
“During the peak summer of 2024, classrooms became unbearable due to power cuts, water shortages, and a large number of students in classrooms that made it nearly impossible for students to learn while temperatures soared above 50 degrees Celsius across the country,” Ganesan said.