20.01.2022
Date
20.01.2022 ~ 20.01.2022
Venue
Tag
Introduction
Figure, Article|Program on Building Disaster Resilient Schools and Technology Application
The year 2021 was not peaceful because of the continuity of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which has been spreading across countries since 2020. Along with the impact of natural and man-made disasters such as extreme climate, plagues of pests, brushfires, floods, and wild storms sweeping over the globe, human lives and economic systems have all been seriously affected. Nevertheless, we still stand together through these difficult times, promoting Disaster Risk Reduction Education (DRRE) into new stable and steady milestones.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) has established the great achievement of promoting national DRRE since 2003. Based on human participation and the enhancement of scenario preparation abilities, this project has built connections between teachers, students, parents, schools and communities to implement goals within campuses, families and neighborhoods. Through the introduction of smart disaster prevention technology, the MOE has successfully integrated the efforts of the authorities of the disaster prevention and protection groups which reinforce the overall school resilience and strengthens the knowledge, attitudes, and application skills of neighborhood disaster prevention to build the disaster-resistant networks. In 2019, the MOE promoted the transformation of DRRE with the idea of replacing the standard procedure training with the education of decision-making principles, followed by “building stronger resilient disaster prevention campuses.” and, under this new structure, this corresponds to the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR). DRRE also combines with traditional indigenous knowledge to give impetus to the construction of DRRE in schools with a special indigenous focus. The MOE also held the International Youth Leadership Camp for Disaster Management to cultivate youth leaders to become the seed workers of disaster preparedness.
The MOE has been practicing the “Program on Building Disaster Prevention Campuses Among Primary, Junior and Senior High Schools” since 2011 and activated the “Disaster Resilient School 2.0” in 2019 to ascertain DRRE concepts in all levels of schools. The promotion features in the program were executed by schools and divided into basic disaster prevention and advanced disaster prevention campuses. These included demarcating disaster shelters, developing innovative disaster tools and/or teaching tools, promoting disaster knowledge, sharing DRRE courses with the community, and, lastly, simulating scenarios and conducting disaster drills. By the end of 2020, there were 2,987 Disaster Resilient Schools, and the target of making all schools disaster-resilient had been fulfilled, which has fortified DRRE energy in the teaching field.
The Program on Disaster Risk Reduction Education (DRRE) for preschools began to be promoted in 2015, and by the end of 2017, 26 Disaster Resilient Demonstrative Preschools had been established in the R.O.C. (Taiwan) to help it build a safe environment. In 2019, the MOE proposed an independent safety management and disaster risk reduction framework for preschools; in 2020, the MOE began to plan for a fire response training system and also revised the disaster risk reduction plan for preschools. These plans all contribute to the development of disaster prevention and response-ability of preschools.
Special Education Schools started “the Program of Disaster Prevention Campuses Planning” in 2019. It has helped 28 special education schools to customize the need for disaster prevention campuses and has encouraged other schools throughout the country to participate in building disaster-resilient environments while valuing and taking care of the special needs of people with disabilities. Furthermore, the program also releases specific videos about disaster prevention and preparedness for special education schools, so that relevant personnel can quickly comprehend and follow the principles and main points to achieve containment of a disaster if an earthquake strikes.
The year 2021 began a new era for building the goal of “every school is a disaster resilient school”. To raise disaster prevention awareness from schools to communities and then spread the idea to the whole of society and the general public, the MOE emphasized strengthening the practice and achievement of successful disaster prevention in national and private primary, junior and senior high schools. The purposes were to integrate several practical initiatives: the preparation of campus disaster prevention plans, the drafting of campus disaster prevention maps, and organizing the drills and exercises of disaster scenarios in the schoolyard. Altogether, these initiatives will strengthen the school’s disaster management ability and enhance the knowledge of disaster prevention so that the safety of the school environment could be established.
Since 2019, in order to elevate primary teachers’ international vision of disaster prevention, the MOE has held three exchange activities including: two for the The International Conference on School’s Disaster Reduction and Resilience Education in Practice and one exchange activity for The Republic of China (Taiwan) and Japan Disaster Risk Reduction and Education Practical Experience Exchange Forum. The MOE invited scholars and experts from the USA, Australia, and Japan to share their experience of international DRRE integrative strategies and practice. Over 661 people have participated in the events, and 28 teachers have been selected to attend the international exchanges and training in Miyaki County, Japan.
Considering the importance of a spokesperson who represents the school to deliver and clarify messages when disasters hit, the course of School Spokesperson Training provides concepts of the duties and responsibilities of the spokesperson, thus emphasizing and consolidating the features of this position. Over 106 spokespeople participated and completed the training. With the effort of all disaster-resilient schools, the process of the DRRE study tour was established and has developed into 6 regional associations and 8 main topics, including 31 schools, and139 DRRE courses. The target students of the study tour are divided into 8 groups consisting of preschools, 1st- and 2nd-graders of primary school, 3rd- to 4th- graders of primary school, 5th- and 6th-graders of primary school, junior high students, senior high students, adults, and people with disabilities.
The county and city governments promoted different workshops for the DRRE counseling practicing section, early childhood section, and special education section. The training has cultivated more than 2,430 DRRE workers/teachers from 2019 to 2021. With the effort of local governments, various kinds of teaching materials, classroom exercises, and competitions have improved and flourished. Some cities and counties actively conduct no-notice disaster risk reduction drills or have preschool DRRE demonstrative guidance to examine and improve the management and procedure of school disaster prevention.
The 9th Gathering of Disaster Resilient Schools selected 127 Basic Model Schools and 33 Extended Model Schools to be awarded as DRRE models. Though the awards ceremony was unable to be physically held due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has brought up various possibilities. By holding a VR exhibition of DRRE, it displayed the achievement of the project being promoted in the R.O.C.(Taiwan), crossing the limitations of time, space and territory. In addition, it shared the success with more people in the R.O.C.(Taiwan), and other foreign nations, of the achievement of R.O.C. (Taiwan)’s DRRE. There have been more than 1 million visitors to the online exhibition.
The R.O.C. (Taiwan) focuses on building the correct attitude, knowledge, and skills in promoting DRRE. After the project is activated, students in the R.O.C. (Taiwan) are then equipped with good awareness and attitudes toward disaster prevention. They know how to protect themselves when a disaster strikes, are able to distinguish the events or objects which might cause mental or physical damage, and can use their senses to detect the track of disasters that are likely to occur.
Using local environmental specialties, features and folk culture, the MOE has developed several curricula for different areas that help teachers, students, families, and communities to survive and learn from disasters and use the knowledge thereby gained in future cases. The main goal of the project is to build better adaptation to disasters and emphasize resilience in school disaster management.
To sum up, it is clear that climate change is going to become worse in the near future, and COVID-19 is likely to continue raging across the globe, at least in the short term. These disasters will probably be more crucial and complicated than ever. Yet the R.O.C. (Taiwan) authority will keep pushing forward consensus for the culture of disaster risk reduction and expand DRRE into all aspects to help contain disasters and coexist with the risks, maintaining daily life as far as possible.