Natural disasters affect everyone alike. However, the nature of impact varies based on their vulnerability which is physical, social and/or attitudinal and the coping capacities of those affected. There has been an increase in the number of natural disasters over the past few years, and with it, increasing loss on account of urbanization and population growth, as a result of which the impact of natural disasters is felt to a large extent.
The occurrence of disaster related deaths are on a rise and the Asian region accounts for 98.85 per cent of overall deaths during the year 2008 which is significantly higher compared to other regions of the world (United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction 2008).1
Globally, each time a disaster occurs; there is physical, educational, economic and psychological impact and the Indian sub-continent is no exception to it. Around 85 per cent of India’s geographical area is prone to natural hazards such as cyclones, floods, earthquakes, landslides and droughts besides localized hazards (Sharma 2005). Traditionally, India has been reactive in its approach towards disasters; with precious resources being spent on relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction. Of late, there has been a major shift in its approach. The focus has shifted to pre disaster aspects like prevention, mitigation and preparedness as it is felt that appropriate mitigation measures can substantially, if not completely, mitigate the impact of disasters. This paper tries to highlight the initiatives already taken up by Government of India and the initiatives that need to be taken in the future to build a culture of safety and resilience at all levels.
GLOBAL THRUST
To reduce the impact of disasters, the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005, priority 3 (UNISDR’s) ensures the “Use knowledge, innovation and education to build a culture of safety and resilience at all levels.”2 Key activities include:
a. Information management and exchange
b. Education and training
c. Research and
d. Public awareness
INDIAN EXPERIENCE
Education for disaster management is a trans-disciplinary exercise aimed at developing knowledge, skill and values at all level. Government of India in its Tenth and Eleventh Five Year Plan document, have emphasized the need to enhance knowledge, skill and values to reduce the impact of disasters on the education sector. Some of the recent disasters that have affected the education sector in India are the Gujarat earthquake (2001) where 971 students and 31 teachers were killed, 1,884 schools collapsed; Tamil Nadu Fire (2004) incident where 93 children died in a fire due to explosion of a cooking gas cylinder; North Pakistan, Kashmir earthquake (2005) where 17,000 students died at school, and 10,000 school buildings destroyed (Petal 3 and 4).
To build in a culture of safety and resilience at all levels in the education sector, there is a need to carry out a large number of initiatives. Some of the ongoing initiatives of Government of India with support from various stakeholders are:
a. Inclusion of Disaster Management in the curriculum: To reduce vulnerability, the Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE), with support from Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have incorporated Disaster Management as part of its frontline curriculum in Social Science for class VIII, IX, X and XI (Sociology and Geography). The success of this initiative at the national level has encouraged the State Education Boards of the country to have the subject as part of its curriculum.
b. Training of teachers:
The subject of Disaster Management being a new subject, a need was felt to train the teachers who could in turn facilitate the transaction of the subject in the classrooms. To cater to the growing need, the National Council of Education Research and Training with support from United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have developed self learning training modules which focus on ‘Health, Safety and Well Being of School Children’. A large number of teachers have been trained at the national, state and local level by the Government with support from various stakeholders like NGOs, corporate, academic institutions etc.
c. Awareness Campaigns:
Print, electronic and folk media have been has been widely utilized to generate awareness amongst the school community and parents. Posters, short video clippings on various hazards focusing on preparedness and mitigation measures have been developed by Government, UN agencies and NGOs. Games, puzzles, coloring activity books have also been developed to generate awareness on hazards specially targeting the primary children and children out of schools. Street plays and magic shows have also been used to create awareness amongst teachers and students and parents.
CONCLUSION
Looking at the need of the hour, and to build a culture of safety at all levels, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) of Government of India with support from Non Governmental Organizations, corporate, academic institutions etc need to develop guidelines for schools which should reflect issues related to the education sector namely child rights and emergencies, integrating Disaster Risk Reduction with development, inclusion of DM as curricular and co-curricular activities, structural and non structural safety of educational institutions, training and capacity development at various levels etc.
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