Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Education systems worldwide, including Thailand's, face increasing vulnerability to climate change–related disasters, particularly in rural and socioeconomically disadvantaged areas. Although global policy frameworks emphasize protecting children from environmental risks, existing indices lack spatial granularity and do not directly incorporate educational outcomes into their structure. This study aims to (1) develop a spatial index of educational risk linked to climate conditions—the Climate-Mapped Educational Risk Index (CMER)—and (2) analyze the relationships between this index and geographic, school, and student factors. The study integrated school-level O-NET scores from four core subjects across 30,112 schools during 2017–2021 with high-resolution climate data from the SEACLID/CORDEX-SEA project covering the same period relative to a baseline of 1970–2007. The CMER Index was developed using Principal Component Analysis of extreme climate variables and student achievement, with schools classified by risk levels using ROC-based criteria. Elastic Net regression was then applied to analyze relationships between CMER scores and risk factors across educational service areas, followed by the construction of a Risk–Importance Matrix (RIM) to support policy decision-making. The results revealed that the duration of extreme precipitation events was the only dimension showing a significant structural relationship with student achievement. Schools in the Northern, Northeastern, Central, and Southern regions exhibited higher risk levels. RIM analysis indicated that educational factors amplify risk to varying degrees across different areas, underscoring the need for context-specific interventions. The CMER Index and RIM provide a data-driven framework for identifying climate-linked educational risks and targeting resource allocation to build a more equitable and climate-resilient education system.
Institution: Chulalongkorn University
Language: Thai
Subfield: Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
Funders: UNICEF, Chulalongkorn University
OpenAlex ID: W7215354705