n a rainy day, thirty-five-year-old Aneela Raheem, who teaches at a government primary school in Naro Banda, Swabi, arranges her books for the next lesson. For her class, it is not just another school day, but a new challenge. The students are uncertain whether they will be able to complete their curriculum on time. Water dripping from the roof of the classroom adds to their anxiety. September once didn’t witness such heavy rains but changing weather patterns have become increasingly familiar, impacting school routines and student learning.

At the heart of this crisis are teachers like Raheem, who have to ensure the safety and wellbeing of their students while innovating their teaching to address student learning gaps—all the while facing climate disasters themselves.

Raheem, who lives three kilometres from her school, usually takes a rickshaw for her commute. But during the rains, motorised local transport becomes unavailable and she is forced to walk through waterlogged streets and slippery paths. During heavy rains, the journey back home becomes an even tougher challenge.

Climate change has disrupted all aspects of life, including those of students and teachers. Extreme heatwaves, heavy rains, floods and power outages interrupt school routines and affect students’ ability to concentrate and learn.

A government primary school teacher in Beshonai (Buner) recalls that during the recent torrential rains, classrooms sometimes became unsafe for her students. Having taught for over a decade, she recalls lessons from last year’s disaster. Teachers, she says, have to coordinate with parents to keep children at home when the weather becomes alarming. At the same time, teachers try to continue their teaching through worksheets and helping children resume learning through simple home-based tasks.

Her village is on the other side of the mountain. Recent landslides have made her daily commute to school difficult. The road that once allowed her to travel by car is no longer accessible. This has forced her to walk for more than an hour to reach the school, with three young children alongside—the youngest cradled in her arms.

For teachers in Buner and other climate-vulnerable areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, climate change is a reality they can no longer ignore. Extreme heat makes classrooms difficult to manage. Heavy rains and flash floods disrupt attendance, damage school infrastructure and teaching resources. When disasters strike, teachers are often expected to return to their classrooms and help children resume learning, even as they too have been affected.

“We try to engage students in activity-based learning,” says a government girls primary school teacher from Sawari, Buner. “But when there is no electricity, it becomes difficult to keep students engaged in the classroom.”

After floods, teachers have had to work with diminished resources, help children make up for missed lessons and provide emotional support to students who have experienced displacement or loss.

“When temperatures rise, teachers look for the coolest corner of classrooms, open windows and adjust activities to keep children engaged,” says another school teacher from Ghazi Khani Peer Baba.

“When rain becomes intense, attention shifts from the blackboard to the roof, the doors and the road outside. When floods or landslides disrupt access, the question is no longer whether the day’s lessons will be completed, but whether students and teachers can safely reach back home.”

According to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Elementary and Secondary Education Department’s Climate Ready Schools Framework 2026, the 2022 monsoon floods affected 1,790 schools across 36 districts of the province, of which 150 were completely destroyed and 1,640 were partially damaged. The framework identifies the 2022 floods as one of the major climate-related shocks to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s education infrastructure.

UNICEF’s Education in Emergencies Coordination Mechanism reported that 695 schools in the province were damaged by floods and other monsoon-related hazards in the 2025 monsoon. The UN-Habitat later reported that 437 schools were damaged by the 2025 cloudbursts and flash floods, particularly in Swat and Buner. The difference reflects different assessment periods and methodologies. Available sources do not provide a comparable province-wide figures for schools fully or partially damaged during the 2023, 2024 and 2026 monsoon seasons.

This year, the provincial government has adopted a Disaster Risk Reduction Policy with the support of the German Government and GIZ Pakistan, to establish a specific subnational management framework that links climate change adaptive social protection and interdepartmental coordination such as the PDMA with the Education Department to secure public interest.

Local organisations are also joining hands with school administrations to keep the teaching and learning processes on track in the wake of climate change.

“Some children get scared and do not attend school during heavy rainfall,” says Gul Wahid, the Rural Development Organisation Buner’s programme manager. “Transport is another major issue, as many children come to school from distant areas. During the rains, they are often unable to travel due to unsafe or unavailable transport, which results in irregular attendance, affecting their education.”

During periods of extreme heat, frequent power outages create additional challenges for students and teachers. Classrooms are often overcrowded, with over 50 students packed in a single classroom. Access to safe drinking water is also limited. These conditions increase the risk of heat exhaustion and heat stroke among students and teachers.

“We also organise special activities with children to help reduce their fear and anxiety induced by climate related events, gradually removing the trauma of such incidents from their minds.”

Teachers are increasingly taking on a role that goes beyond delivering lessons. They are becoming a source of reassurance for children living through repeated climate-related disruptions.

“We try to create a safe and healthy classroom environment for students who have been impacted by floods or other uncertain situations. We teach them safety measures through games and what steps to take if a disaster hits their school or nearby areas,” says a teacher who hails from Bagh Naseemabad.

“If we notice any prolonged stress or anxiety in any student, we coordinate with relevant service providers.”

For teachers across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a classroom has become more than a place for lessons. It is now a place where they have to protect children from heat, rain, fear and uncertainty. As climate change continues to alter weather patterns, teachers are increasingly being asked to adapt not only their teaching methods, but also the way they protect and support their students.

The writer is a freelance journalist.