Schools as Shelters, Children as Victims: Education Losses After Cyclone Ditwah

The immediate aftermath of a natural disaster rightly focuses on saving lives and providing basic necessities. However, as the crisis transitions from emergency to recovery, the long-term damage to a nation’s human capital—specifically its children—often remains underreported and under-resourced. The experience of Cyclone Ditwah reveals a critical failure to safeguard the education and psychosocial well-being of the affected youth, a failure that risks creating a generation of victims long after the floodwaters have receded. The UN Situation Report No. 05 provides a stark, data-driven look at the profound and complex losses in the education sector [1]. 

Scale of Education Disruption

The physical toll on the education system is immense. The report indicates that 1,382 schools were affected by the cyclone [1]. This disruption extends far beyond structural damage. It encompasses the loss of essential learning materials, the use of school facilities for non-educational purposes, and the psychological trauma inflicted on students and teachers alike. 

The sheer number of children whose education has been compromised is staggering. An estimated 458,609 school-age children require essential learning materials, including textbooks, workbooks, and uniforms, to resume schooling [1]. The delay in providing these basic necessities, coupled with the physical damage to the schools, means that the right to education for nearly half a million children is currently being violated. 

Schools Used as Shelters and Learning Losses

In the immediate emergency phase, schools served as vital safety centers, providing refuge for the displaced. While this was a necessary humanitarian measure, the prolonged use of these facilities has created a significant secondary crisis for the education sector. The report notes that many of the 205 safety centers still housing the displaced are located in educational facilities [1]. 

The inevitable closure of these centers, while necessary to resume classes, is leading to secondary displacement and social disruption [1]. More importantly, the time lost to the academic calendar is a direct and unrecoverable learning loss. For children, the school environment provides structure, routine, and a safe space—all critical elements for recovery from trauma. The longer schools remain closed or repurposed, the deeper the educational deficit becomes, disproportionately affecting those who were already academically vulnerable. 

Furthermore, the schools that are now reopening require extensive cleaning, repair, and restoration of water and sanitation facilities [1]. The lack of basic infrastructure, such as clean toilets and safe drinking water, poses a public health risk and creates an environment unconducive to learning. 

Mental Health and Psychosocial Impacts on Children

The disruption to education is inextricably linked to the mental health and psychosocial well-being of children. The trauma of the cyclone—witnessing destruction, experiencing displacement, and the prolonged uncertainty of their family’s future—creates a significant burden. The report emphasizes the need for continued psychosocial support and Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) activities to help children cope with stress and trauma [1]. 

The absence of a stable school environment removes a critical protective factor. Schools are often the first place where signs of distress, neglect, or abuse are identified. The report highlights the need for mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) services to be integrated into the response [1]. The provision of child-friendly spaces and the training of teachers and community members in basic MHPSS are vital to ensure that the psychological wounds of the disaster do not become permanent scars. 

Inequality Risks for Vulnerable and Disabled Students

Disasters invariably exacerbate pre-existing inequalities, and Cyclone Ditwah is no exception. The most vulnerable children—those with disabilities, those from marginalized communities, and those already facing economic hardship—are at the highest risk of being left behind. 

The report notes that 900 children with disabilities require specialized educational materials and support [1]. The general disruption to the education system makes it exponentially harder to provide the tailored assistance these children need. Similarly, the economic stress caused by the disaster, particularly the 0% funding for livelihoods and the resulting 30–200% surge in food prices [1], forces poor families to make impossible choices. This economic pressure increases the risk of children dropping out of school to engage in child labor, thereby trading their long-term productivity for short-term survival. The report’s focus on the need for support for children in plantation areas and those from vulnerable households underscores this deepening inequality [1]. 

Long-Term Human Capital Consequences

The failure to prioritize education recovery has severe long-term consequences for the nation’s human capital and future productivity. Education is the single most powerful tool for breaking the cycle of poverty. Every day of lost schooling translates into reduced future earnings, diminished civic participation, and a less resilient workforce. 

The current funding status for the Education sector—only 21% funded against a $2 million requirement [1]—is a policy signal that the long-term future of the nation’s youth is being undervalued. This underinvestment risks creating a cohort of young people whose educational attainment is permanently impaired, leading to a structural deficit in human capital that will hinder Sri Lanka’s economic development for decades. The cost of this delay far outweighs the modest investment required to fully fund the sector. 

Sector	HPP Requirement (US$)	Funded (US$)	% Funded	Long-Term Consequence
Education	$2,000,000	$420,000	21%	Impaired human capital; reduced future earnings; structural poverty.
Nutrition	$2,000,000	$486,000	24%	Cognitive and physical stunting; long-term public health burden.
Early Recovery	$3,300,000	$550,000	16.7%	Protracted economic crisis; increased need for social safety nets.

Required Investments for Education Recovery

The path to recovery requires a decisive shift in investment priorities. The $1.58 million funding gap in the Education sector must be closed immediately [1]. This investment must be directed towards a comprehensive recovery plan that includes: 

Restoration of Facilities: Immediate funding for the cleaning, repair, and restoration of the 1,382 affected schools, prioritizing the repair of water and sanitation facilities to ensure a safe learning environment.

Provision of Learning Materials: Ensuring that the 458,609 children receive the necessary textbooks, uniforms, and school supplies to return to class without financial burden on their families.

Psychosocial Support Integration: Scaling up the provision of MHPSS and SEL activities, integrating them into the curriculum, and training all teachers to serve as frontline support providers.

Targeted Support for Vulnerable Groups: Dedicated resources for children with disabilities and those from the most economically vulnerable households to prevent dropouts and ensure equitable access to education. 

Policy Recommendations

The policy lessons from Cyclone Ditwah are clear: education must be recognized as a life-saving and life-sustaining sector in disaster response. 

First, the government must establish a clear policy that minimizes the use of educational facilities as long-term shelters and mandates a rapid, funded plan for their immediate cleaning and restoration once the emergency phase ends. 

Second, the Education sector must be ring-fenced in future HPPs, ensuring that its funding is not sacrificed for other immediate needs. The long-term economic and social cost of a generation with impaired education far outweighs the short-term savings. 

Finally, a holistic approach linking education, nutrition, and protection must be adopted. The crisis of 3,500 children with SAM [1] cannot be solved by the health sector alone; it requires the education system to be fully functional, providing stability and a platform for social services. By prioritizing the full and rapid recovery of the education sector, Sri Lanka can transform its children from victims of the cyclone into the resilient human capital needed for future prosperity. 

References

[1] UN Sri Lanka – Cyclone Ditwah Situation Report No. 05 (as of 9 January 2026).