All schools in South Sudan will shut down starting on Monday in anticipation of a severe heatwave that is forecasted to continue for a span of two weeks.
The health and education departments have recommended that parents ensure all children remain indoors due to predicted temperatures reaching 45C (113F).
They stated that if any school was found open during the warning period, its registration would be revoked. However, the statement released on Saturday did not mention the duration of school closures.
The ministries stated they will “keep a close watch on the development and provide updates to the public as necessary.”
Peter Garang, a resident of Juba, the capital city, expressed his support for the ruling. He believes that schools should have access to electricity in order to install air conditioning units.
The climate crisis poses a significant threat to South Sudan, one of the newest nations in the world. Heatwaves regularly occur, though they typically do not exceed 40C (104F). The country also struggles with civil conflict, drought, and flooding, resulting in challenging living conditions.
The most recent country briefing from the World Food Programme reports that South Sudan is still experiencing a severe humanitarian emergency, largely due to ongoing violence, economic uncertainty, environmental shifts, and an increase in refugees from the conflict in Sudan. Additionally, the report noted that in January alone, over 818,000 individuals in need received food and cash assistance.
Source: theguardian.com
