Extreme weather events and primary school Curricula in Burkina Faso: Implications for climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction

Climate change has intensified extreme weather events (EWEs) across Sub-saharan Africa. Yet little is known about how formal education systems integrate these risks into primary school curricula. This study examines the extent to which EWEs are integrated into the primary school curriculum in Burkina Faso and assesses their relevance in promoting Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) awareness among pupils. A mixed research approach was adopted, combining content analysis of school curricula, a literature review and semi-structured interviews with teachers, pupils and educational supervisors. The findings reveal substantial gaps between policy intentions and classroom realities. More than 80% of pupils and more than 60% of teachers do not have access to climate-related teaching materials, while more than 90% of educational supervisors report a lack of institutional guidance documents. Although EWEs-Related topics appear sporadically in subjects such as geography, science and reading, their treatment remains fragmented and largely superficial, ranging from approximately 24 % in some subjects to less than 1 % in others. This limited curricular integration restricts pupils' ability to understand, anticipate and respond to climate-related risks. This study contributes to the literature on climate education and DRR by highlighting the need for context-specific, age-appropriate curriculum reforms that are aligned with students' cognitive abilities and local environmental realities. Strengthening climate education from primary school onwards is essential to increase long-term resilience and adaptive capacity in climate-vulnerable countries such as Burkina Faso.