Chennai: As classrooms across Tamil Nadu brace for soaring heat in the coming months, state govt on Monday rolled out Climate Education and Cool Roof initiatives across 300 Green Schools, turning campuses into hands-on labs for climate action.Announced in the 2025-26 budget, the programme, implemented with the school education department, equips students with direct experience in climate change, natural resource management, and sustainability. It features residential teacher training, student nature camps, and the statewide ‘Soozhal Arivom’ climate quiz.A key focus targets heat stress crippling learning in concrete-roofed schools, where indoor temperatures hit 38-40C during class hours, impairing concentration and performance. Heat is now classified as a state-specific disaster, with studies linking classroom temperatures above 30-32C to sharp drops in learning ability and exam scores.The Cool Roof initiative, embedded in the Tamil Nadu Climate Change Mission Action Plan for 2025-26, gained traction from a pilot at Ambattur Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Government Girls Higher Secondary School. There, indoor temperatures fell 3-4C on average, ceiling surfaces cooled by 4-5C, and occupied classrooms dropped from 31-32C to 27C slashing reliance on fans while boosting thermal comfort.The programme was launched by the state environment and finance minister Thangam Thennarasu. During the launch he inaugurated Cool Roofs at Chennai Girls Higher Secondary School, Shenoy Nagar, and Chennai Higher Secondary School, Thiruvanmiyur.State forests and environment secretary Supriya Sahu said: “Amid rising climate-driven temperatures, schools must adopt passive cooling for immediate impact. They cut indoor heat, sharpen student focus, and ease heat stress. Through the UNEP-backed Be Cool Project, this model can scale to schools and public buildings nationwide.”
