North Korean parents are struggling to provide fuel for their children’s classrooms due to a worsening firewood crisis. The price of firewood has more than doubled, from $28 to $69 per cubic meter, leaving most families unable to pay cash upfront. Local sources report that only eight of 27 families at one middle school could afford to pay, forcing others to gather firewood themselves.
In previous years, schools or local administrative bodies supplied fuel for wood-burning stoves. However, responsibility has long shifted to students and parents. The sudden price surge this year has created severe challenges for families across Hamhung and South Hamgyong province.
Homeroom teachers now ask parents to choose between supplying firewood, paying cash, or taking turns gathering fuel daily. Families who cannot pay or bring wood in advance rotate firewood duty, supplying all fuel needed for one classroom day.
Parents and sometimes students venture into surrounding forests to collect firewood despite the risk of punishment from forest rangers. Sources say many rangers overlook the activity when they understand its purpose. However, hurriedly collected wood is often green, producing smoke that disrupts classroom lessons and irritates eyes and throats.
Experts note that this firewood crisis highlights broader economic pressures facing North Korean households. Families increasingly face difficult choices between meeting school obligations and securing other necessities. Students occasionally miss school to help gather wood, demonstrating the severity of the crisis and its impact on education.
The firewood crisis also reflects structural weaknesses in local supply management and rural support systems. Officials have yet to implement solutions to stabilize fuel access, leaving families to manage independently under harsh winter conditions.
Observers say the situation may persist unless authorities provide subsidies or alternative heating solutions. The reliance on parents and students for classroom heating underscores the wider economic strain affecting public services and social stability in the region.
Overall, the firewood crisis demonstrates how rising costs and limited resources are forcing North Korean families into dangerous and burdensome measures to maintain basic educational functions. Without intervention, students and parents will continue to face health risks and learning disruptions during the winter months.
