Around 150,000 schoolchildren in Peru's northern region of Lambayeque face a high or very high risk from heavy rains predicted during the El Niño climate phenomenon, regional education authorities reported on Friday, Aug. 21.
The Regional Education Management of Lambayeque confirmed that more than 800 public schools across the region are situated in vulnerable areas or remote locations that could suffer severe damage or access blockages.
Regional Education Manager Reymundo Dioses Guzmán explained that approximately 71 percent of the 1,131 school premises evaluated in the region present high or very high risk levels under the current rainfall forecasts.
Infrastructure risks and road closures
The evaluation was conducted under Budgetary Program 0068, known as the Reduction of Vulnerability and Emergency Care for Disasters (Prevaed). Dioses Guzmán noted that the most vulnerable establishments include those constructed with precarious materials such as adobe and wood, primarily located in isolated sectors and high Andean zones.
In some institutions, heavy rains could lead to a complete shutdown of educational activities, while other schools may need to temporarily suspend classes until safety conditions allow normal work to resume.
Dioses Guzmán stressed that the threat extends beyond physical damage inside school buildings. Torrential rains could physically prevent students and teachers from reaching their schools due to degraded roads or bridge collapses across the region.
Early end to school year and virtual learning
To mitigate these risks, the Regional Education Management established that the school year in Lambayeque will end early on Dec. 4. The measure aims to protect children, adolescents, and teaching staff from being exposed at school or during their daily commutes if El Niño rains intensify toward the close of the academic calendar.
However, officials warned that heavy rain could begin before the scheduled conclusion of in-person classes. If precipitation arrives in November or earlier, school principals have been instructed to take immediate protective measures.
Among the planned contingencies is a transition to virtual classes, allowing educational activities to continue remotely when students and teachers cannot safely reach school premises. The decision to switch to online learning will depend on the progression of the rainfall and the specific conditions at each school in the region.
