More than 3,400 classrooms damaged or destroyed by Cyclone Idai in Mozambique, says UN Children's Fund.

More than 305,000 children in Mozambique are losing out on lessons at school since the devastating floods caused by Cyclone Idai, which struck southeast Africa just over a month ago.

The latest assessment by UN Children's Fund UNICEF, indicates that around 3,400 classrooms have either been destroyed or damaged, with 2,713 out of action in the Sofala area alone.

In some of the areas affected, schools will need extensive repair and rehabilitation after being converted into makeshift emergency shelters for children and families displaced by the huge storm, which barreled inland off the coast of Mozambique on 14 April, also causing damage and flooding across large areas of Zimbabwe and Malawi.

UNICEF is urging authorities to reconstruct schools in a more robust way, so they can withstand natural disasters in the future, and they are urging humanitarian partners involved in the mammoth recovery effort, to 'continue working together to implement solutions' - such as establishing temporary learning centres - to get children back in school as quickly as possible.

'Any prolonged interruption in access to learning could have devastating consequences for children over both the short and long term', said the agency. 'Education is essential for helping children return to a sense of normalcy following a traumatic event, like a major cyclone, and for their long-term development and prospects.'

UNICEF is also concerned that the disruption will compound what were already low rates of school enrolment and 'learning achievement' in Mozambique. with less than 20 per cent of secondary-school aged...