Disaster Risk Reduction Education in Indonesia
Challenges and recommendations for scaling up
This article investigates the implementation of disaster risk reduction education for children in Indonesia. In the last decade, education programmes related to this subject have been promoted as capable of reducing disaster losses and increasing resilience, based on several studies that have identified positive outcomes. Therefore, it is critical to evaluate and address any potential challenges that might impede their success. The article uses a case study in Jakarta, a rapidly growing megacity that is highly prone to disasters and natural hazards, especially floods and fires, to explore the scaling up and sustainability of disaster risk reduction in Indonesian schools. Based on previous studies, a new approach was developed for evaluating the implementation of education programmes related to these subjects.
This study captured the perspectives of children, school personnel, and non-governmental organizations on the challenges of scaling up the implementation of disaster risk reduction education in schools. The study revealed seven key issues and suggests several policy recommendations to move forward. These key issues may also be apparent in many other developing and developed countries, and the suggested recommendations may well be applicable beyond Indonesia. This study used a multi-informant, mixed methods approach, focusing on three distinct groups: primary school personnel (i.e. teachers, school administrator, and school principals), DRR professionals within child-focussed NGOs working in Jakarta, and children.
The results highlight the strong desire for children to learn more on how to stay safe from disasters and reduce disaster risks in their communities. It also demonstrates that children are extremely interested in assisting their households and schools to become better prepared for disasters. However, there is still a gap in children's knowledge on DRR. Seven key issues on implementing DRR education in Indonesian schools were identified based on the perspectives of children, school personnel, and child-focussed NGOs. These issues relate to policies on DRR education in Indonesia, teachers' awareness of and access to DRR educational materials; teachers' capacity for implementation of DRR education in schools; partnerships between schools and other stakeholders; the lack of a platform for teachers to share experiences, successes, and challenges; dedicated personnel and budget; and children's participation in DRR education and measures.