Major disasters disrupted education for at least 13 million children in six countries in three months as Venezuela reopens schools

CARACAS, Venezuela, 17 September 2026 – Education was disrupted for about 13 million children over the past three months as Nepal, Japan, Colombia, Venezuela, Indonesia, and the Philippines were all hit by major natural or climate disasters such as earthquakes, floods, or wildfires, said Save the Children.

In many countries where the disasters stuck, classes were in session at the time such as in Nepal where children were forced to flee flash flooding. In others, schools were approaching the end of year holidays such as in Venezuela where pupils return to class this week and learning disruptions are only now being felt.

Analysing various data sources, Save the Children looked at the impact of these disasters over the past three months and estimated that about 13 million children saw their learning suspended, transferred online, reduced or disrupted in other ways, with some continuing to see their education impacted.[1]

In Venezuela, students and teachers said that they were feeling anxious as they returned to school for the new academic year following the twin earthquakes that hit the country on 24 June, killing more than 6,500 people.

The earthquakes, the most powerful in a century, halted education for more than 21,000 students [2] and disrupted learning for one million, or about one in every eight school-aged child, Save the Children said.

Teachers from La Guaira, a coastal region badly hit in northern Venezuela, said it was  important to continue efforts to ensure that schools can provide supportive environments for children returning after the earthquakes although some schools have suffered structural damage and cannot reopen.

Alondra*, 37, a teacher in Venezuela and mother to nine-year-old Emma*, is worried that the disruption will force students into overcrowded schools, affecting both learning quality and recreational opportunities.

“My daughter's education is paramount, of course, and I'm not going to take her out of school, especially not because of this [earthquake],” she said.

Alondra has been taking Emma to a Save the Children safe space in the months since the earthquake so she can continue learning and playing with other children her own age.

Save the Children in Venezuela and its national partners have helped over 93,970 people** since the earthquakes including through psychosocial support, health support, and community engagement activities. The child rights organisation will also start rehabilitating learning spaces and schools and training teachers to support children affected by the earthquakes.

Four other powerful earthquakes in Colombia, the Philippines, Indonesia and in Japan disrupted education for about 4 million children out of the 13 million children.

A 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck the southern Philippines on 8 June, the first day back to school after the country’s summer break, disrupting education. Since then, Save the Children has reached more than 8,800 people, including 3,900 children, providing support including household items, hygiene kits and temporary learning spaces.

Floods brought about by this season's monsoon in the Philippines also affected nearly 7 million students who saw classes suspended including in the capital Manila and several provinces, on and off, for almost two weeks, while almost 900 schools sustained damaged.[3]

Tatiana Betancourt, an education officer at Save the Children Colombia, said:

“Families temporarily settled in spaces that do not have adequate security and protection conditions affecting educational institutions, limiting children's and adolescents' access to safe learning spaces. Emotional effects on children, caregivers and families include fear, stress and uncertainty generated by the emergency.”

In Colombia, the earthquake’s damage to education infrastructure disrupted access to education for over 1 million children and compounded pre-existing poverty. While about 80% of children have returned to learning through partial, hybrid, or alternating attendance, more than 300,000 children are estimated to be facing heightened protection risks, including recruitment by armed groups. [4]

Save the Children in Colombia is focusing on supporting the safe return to schools wherever feasible and is supporting temporary learning arrangements through local education partners including temporary learning tents in affected areas such as Chocó.

Flash floods in Nepal in August which hit as children were either on their way to school or starting their lessons, killed at least 1,350 people with about 4,800 still missing.[5]

While some schools closed by the floods in Nepal have begun to reopen, many displaced children are not currently able to attend classes as they are not registered for schools in areas they moved to. Save the Children has supported more than 6,000 people across Nuwakot, Dhading and Rasuwa districts with essential items and has set up two temporary learning spaces to help children learn.

In Japan, Save the Children set up child friendly spaces to provide children with a safe environment to play and recover following the 28 July earthquake in Kumamoto Prefecture, southern Japan, among other support.

When disasters or climate emergencies disrupt children’s education, as they have for children in Nepal, Venezuela, Colombia and elsewhere this summer, children must be able to continue their education through crisis. Governments also need stronger, more inclusive, and resilient education systems that can last.

Save the Children is calling on world leaders gathering in New York for the UN General Assembly this month to pledge at least US $5 billion to the Global Partnership for Education to help reach about 750 million children across 96 countries by 2030 by strengthening education systems.

The child rights organisation is also calling on leaders to pledge US$600 million this November for Education Cannot Wait, so children in crisis can continue learning.

*Names changed for anonymity

References:

**As of 11 September 2026.

Methodology: Over 13 million figure is based on looking at major or high-profile disasters between 1 June and early September where there was a publicly reported impact on education. Disasters included earthquakes in Venezuela (1 million children’s education impacted) ; Colombia (1 million) Indonesia (over 116,000), Japan (about 200,000) and the Philippines (3 million), wildfires in Indonesia (1.4 million), monsoon flooding in the Philippines (6.8 million) and flash floods in Nepal (19,000). For Japan, the number of children with disrupted education is estimated based on data from Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) on 650 affected schools, using the average number of students per school in Japan.

[1, 5] NEPAL: https://www.unocha.org/publications/report/nepal/nepal-rasuwa-flood-situation-report-no-7-8-september-2026

[2] Save the Children Rapid Needs Assessment (RNA) August 2026 + UNICEF assessment indicates that more than 432 schools suffered physical damage to their infrastructure. In the state of La Guaira, out of the 290 public and independent schools surveyed in the coastal area, 62 sustained structural damage or suffered total physical collapse.

[3] EDCOM 2 - The Second Congressional Commission on Education:  https://www.facebook.com/edcom2ph/posts/pfbid0xPVJkvHr9HAYRbofaMZcX3kDNtVcqeiHiq3yCtUSd2pSiYpwMCBMcxMoGrq1GH5fl

[4] IRC, 14 Aug 2026: https://www.rescue.org/press-release/irc-launches-health-child-protection-response-colombia-earthquake-death-toll-rises