Basic Education and Disaster Risk Management

Material Information

Title:
Basic Education and Disaster Risk Management
Creator:
Hidajat, Ria
Blumör, Dr. Rüdiger
Disaster Risk Reduction Program, Florida International University (DRR/FIU) ( summary contributor )
Place of Publication:
Eschborn, Germany
Publisher:
Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ)
Publication Date:
Copyright Date:
2007
Language:
English

Subjects

Subjects / Keywords:
unknownNatural hazards and disasters ( lcshac )
Risk management ( lcshac )
Emergency management ( lcshac )
Genre:
non-fiction ( marcgt )
Spatial Coverage:
Africa -- Mozambique
Asia -- Indonesia
Asia -- Sri Lanka

Notes

Summary:
In the document Basic Education and Disaster Risk Management, an important contrast is made between Sri Lanka, where the 2004 tsunami destroyed 182 schools affecting over 80,000 schoolchildren, and Japan, whose schools are constructed to structurally withstand earthquakes, and whose children are educated on how to reduce risk and respond during natural disasters. The basis of the comparison is to make an explicit call for linking basic education with disaster risk management. Enhancing the awareness of primary school children to natural hazards, teaching them the means to mitigate risks and how to perform lifesaving procedures in times of emergency, along with constructing schools that can structurally withstand disasters can go a long way in saving lives. In order to establish a culture of safety and preparedness, children must be educated on managing disaster risk. Incorporating traditional and local knowledge of the disasters that face their communities into their education can play a major role in assimilating risk management into their daily lives inside and outside of schools. Using primary education as a site for educating the population on disaster risk management is important because teachers and children are multipliers that are likely to spread awareness to a variety of social arenas. Information on mitigating against and responding to disaster must be mainstreamed into school curriculums and teacher training programs. Media campaigns and educational events can also help to increase public awareness outside of schools as a complement to work done in the classroom. Schools themselves must act as danger-free zones. This means building them so that they are not in areas of high risk, so that they are resilient enough to stand against extreme natural events, and that they have established emergency plans. Constructing and maintaining safe schools should be an essential element of national development policy, since the welfare of teachers and students is critical to the development of human capital. As major investments in a developing society, schools must be built to last if these investments are to contribute to future socioeconomic progress. Schools also often act as shelters for those seeking to escape danger, again a reason why their construction must be of the highest quality. Both in the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) and the 2005 World Conference on Disaster Reduction in Kobe, Japan, education has been stressed as a key component in creating resilient societies. ( ,,,,, )
Subject:
Education
Subject:
General Risk Management
Scope and Content:
Connection between basic education and disaster risk management p. 3; Specific lines of action for development cooperation p. 6; Range of services by the sector projects disaster risk management and education and conflict transformation p. 8; Project case study Indonesia: Disaster awareness in primary schools (daps) p. 9; Project case study Sri Lanka: Education for social cohesion, disaster risk management & psychosocial care (esc, drm & pc) p. 11; Project case study Mozambique: Introduction of disaster risk management and climate change into local curricula in Mozambique p. 13; Annex p. 15
Citation/Reference:
Basic education and disaster risk management. German Agency for Technical Cooperation/Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ).

Record Information

Source Institution:
Florida International University
Rights Management:
Refer to main document/publisher for use rights.
Resource Identifier:
FI13042656

dpSobek Membership

Aggregations:
Disaster Risk Reduction