South Sudan will close all schools beginning Monday in preparation for a two-week intense heat wave. The health and education ministries encouraged parents to keep their children indoors as temperatures were forecast to reach 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit).
They warned that any school that remained open during the warning period would have its registration revoked, but the statement issued late Saturday did not indicate how long schools would be closed.
Yolanda Awel Deng, the health minister, warned the heatwave might last two weeks, with temperatures ranging from 41 to 45 degrees Celsius.
“The government has decided to take the following measures, one, close down all schools with effect from March 18, two, during the closure of the schools, parents are advised to stop their children from playing outdoors for prolonged periods and they should also monitor children, especially the young ones, for signs of heat exhaustion and heatstroke,” Awel stated.
South Sudan, one of the world’s youngest countries, is especially sensitive to climate change, with heat waves occurring but rarely topping 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).
Civil war has plagued the East African country, which has also experienced drought and flooding, making life difficult for citizens.
According to the World Food Program’s most recent country brief, South Sudan “continues to face a dire humanitarian crisis” as a result of war, economic insecurity, climatic change, and an influx of refugees fleeing the conflict in neighboring Sudan.
It also said that 818,000 disadvantaged persons received food and cash assistance in January.
