Education in crises: Leaders call for stronger, more resilient education systems ahead of the post-2030 agenda

Opening the discussion, Christina Williams, SDG 4 High-level Steering Committee Sherpa Youth Representative from Jamaica, urged decision-makers to view education crises through the eyes of children and young people experiencing them.

For students living in climate-vulnerable countries, she noted, the experience of arriving at school after a hurricane or other disaster only to find their classrooms destroyed is not an imagined scenario; it is a lived reality.

Williams emphasized that resilience must begin before disaster strikes, calling on governments to embed preparedness into education planning through climate-resilient infrastructure, temporary learning arrangements, teacher training in psychosocial support, and flexible learning pathways.

She stressed that young people must be recognized as partners in recovery, highlighting the key role of Jamaican youth in supporting communities affected by Hurricane Melissa.