PurposeOne of the most significant concerns of disaster management is that community at large is reluctant to initiate pre‐disaster measures at the individual level. Disaster education to schoolchildren offers the most vital answer to this grave concern. The objective of this study is to identify the factors which enhance students' awareness and promote the actual action for disaster reduction.Design/methodology/approachThis study is based on a questionnaire survey in six selected schools of Kathmandu, Nepal. Different awareness levels have been established to identify effective educational factors at each level. The analysis showed the way to implement the education program.FindingsResults showed that current school disaster education – which is based on lectures – can raise risk perception, but it cannot enable students to know the importance of pre‐disaster measures and to take actual action for disaster reduction. Self‐education is effective for realizing the importance of implementing measures. Community plays the essential role for promoting students' actual actions for disaster reduction. Future disaster education in school should be active learning for students. Continuous community involvement is the most important factor for school disaster education.Research limitations/implicationsThis study focuses on the direction of disaster education for schoolchildren. Specific cases of the education should be customized, based on the results of this study.Practical implicationsThe study findings are of significant importance for school teachers or education department while designing the curriculum for disaster education.Originality/valueThe findings and recommendations are field‐tested in Nepal and hence offer higher possibilities of adaptation, particularly in developing countries.
Disaster education allows community members to initiate pre-disaster measures at the individual level. The National Society for Earthquake Technology (NSET) has initiated a school safety program in selected government schools in Nepal, one of the most disaster prone countries. This study outlines the current condition of disaster education in Nepal, identifies teachers’ levels of awareness and evaluates the effect of NSET's work. A survey of 130 teachers was conducted in over 40 schools in which it was found that while a level of disaster education in Nepal is widespread, it has not been implemented systematically but depends on the awareness of individual teachers. More teachers in NSET project schools provided disaster education than in the typical government and private schools that were observed. However, the quality of education provided was found to be the same. The teaching focused particularly on the effects of disasters in which the teachers had personal experience. These topics were often covered even if they were not included in the textbooks. The majority of teachers surveyed reported a need for curriculum development in this area. However, considering the results listed above, it can be considered that teacher training is the most important step to improve disaster education in Nepal.
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