Extreme temperatures push children from learning to leisure: IIT Guwahati study

Extreme temperatures can influence how children divide their time between learning and leisure, according to a study by IIT Guwahati researcher Prof Bhaskar Jyoti Neog.

The study, published in Review of Economics of the Household, a Springer Nature journal, examined data from India’s nationally representative Time Use Survey 2019 alongside daily weather information.

The findings show that children tend to spend less time on learning and more time on leisure when temperatures reach extreme levels. The study also recorded a decline in school and college attendance on hotter days, indicating that extreme weather can disrupt education beyond its direct impact on conventional academic outcomes.

Prof Neog, Assistant Professor in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at IIT Guwahati, said the research highlights children’s time allocation as an additional way in which weather can affect well-being and human capital formation.

“Most of the evidence from developing countries has focused on indirect effects of weather, particularly through agricultural productivity and household agricultural incomes,” Neog said. “By focusing on children's daily activities, the study draws attention to an additional dimension of the economic and welfare costs associated with extreme weather.”

The research also found evidence of long-term acclimatisation. The link between temperature and children’s use of time was weaker in areas that typically experience warmer climates, suggesting that people may adjust their behaviour to the climatic conditions they regularly encounter.

However, the study did not find conclusive evidence that people similarly adapt to unpleasant weather conditions over shorter periods.

The impact of extreme temperatures also differed across socio-economic groups. The relationship between temperature and time use was weaker among boys and children from more educated and relatively better-off households. The researchers said this indicates that household resources and socio-economic conditions may influence children’s ability to cope with extreme weather.

The study further assessed how climate change could affect children’s allocation of time in the future. Using climate projections, it examined possible changes in learning and leisure towards the end of the century under a future climate scenario, assuming no additional adaptation.

The findings point to the need for education systems to become more resilient to climate-related disruptions. Measures could include strengthening school infrastructure, ensuring continuity of learning during extreme weather, considering flexible school hours and academic calendars, and expanding blended or digital learning where feasible.

The study also cautions that adaptation measures must not deepen existing inequalities. Children with limited access to cooling facilities, protective infrastructure or digital technology could face greater disruption during periods of extreme weather.

The research has implications for education policy, climate adaptation, school infrastructure planning and efforts to address educational inequalities. It also highlights the need for further research into how weather affects children’s sleep, physical activity, health, cognitive and non-cognitive development and social interaction.

Prof Neog plans to further examine how children, households and educational institutions adapt to extreme weather and assess the effectiveness of measures such as climate-resilient schools, flexible academic schedules and alternative modes of learning.