Hearing the Education Silences that Emanate from the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction

• In Event: New theoretical perspectives on resilience & integration

Proposal

From the 1960s onwards, there has been an increase in intensity of natural disasters around the world. It was during the 1960s that the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) introduced mechanisms to help communities to build resilience and cope with the aftermath of severe disasters (United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR), nd). The birth of UNISDR in 1989 led to the proclamation of the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction – 1990 – 2000. The second Wednesday in every October was observed as an International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR). By 2009, the focus was on all disaster reduction, hence the change to International Day for Disaster Reduction (IDDA), which is now observed annually on 13th October (UNISDR, 2018). Interestingly, of the nineteen (19) themes used for each year’s observance (2000 – 2018), only three (3) of them had a direct link to education – 2000: Disaster Prevention, Education and Youth; 2006: Disaster risk reduction begins at school; and 2007: Challenging the world's education authorities.
Given that education is the key to a nation’s development, (LifeLong Learning Interest Group (LLLIG), 2016; Laurie, Nonoyama-Tarumi and Mckeown, 2016; Madsen, Nordin and Simovska, 2016; Hahn and Truman, 2015), UNISDR’s lack of a direct focus on education begs these pertinent questions: (1) Does education still have a crucial part to play in individual, societal and national development? (2) Is education still a process for lifelong empowerment? It is against this backdrop that this paper asserts that education has not been given the attention that it deserves in the IDDA annual observances. The all-encompassing nature of education does suggest that it has some links to the other sixteen (16) UNISDR annual themes; for example the 2015 Knowledge for Life theme. However, the paper contends that UNISDR needs to give education much more than a ‘cursory glance’ when attending to disaster reduction matters. The paper is yet another of the authors’ writings that is motivated by personal experiences in two different regional locations – Africa and the Caribbean – the increasing, and recent floods in Nigeria, and the hurricanes plus the ‘on-going volcanic crisis’, Montserrat. Both regions are prone to natural disasters (Slaughter and Odume, 2017; European Commission, 2017).

The Context: The immediate post-emancipation period provided the perfect opportunity for the so-called ‘freed’ to embrace formal education (Mosweunyane, 2013; Coates, 2012). Since then, Ministries of Education (MoE) have been ensuring that education remains a functional facilitator of personal and national development (Asaju and Adagba, 2014; Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), 2013). The authors therefore contend that even in natural and man-made disaster situations, education should remain a priority. Türkkahraman affirms:
The most important contribution of education is not only to upgrade the living standards of citizens but also to enable them to become better citizens… education today is a prerequisite for development and also an effective means for both taking knowledge-based decisions and improving democracy. Education improves and strengthens developmental capacities of individuals, communities, groups, institutions, and countries (Türkkahraman, 2012, p.40).
Based on the authors’ personal experiences, the forgoing affirmation is viewed as a brand of education that is crucial for coping with disasters. Despite the attention that UNISDR gives to improving disaster reduction, the silences that emanate from the omission of education from the ‘disaster equation’ are quite audible. Perhaps in recognition of children’s right to education, governments around the world have been ensuring that all children have access to education. Linked to the Rights of the Child are aspects such as “psychosocial needs of children and adolescents affected by trauma and displacement, the need to protect them from harm, and the need to maintain and develop study skills…”; these are sound reasons for education in emergency (Sinclair, 2001), which suggests that more education activities should be incorporated into IDDR programmes, irrespective of the year’s theme. Considering the frequency and scale of disasters, everyone should be included “in education during an emergency” (Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE), 2009, p.7).

Theoretical Links: The paper proposes four main theories that should underpin teachers’ thoughts and actions: (1) social learning theory – real life experience can help to shape behaviour (O’Connor and Scott, 2007); (2) social pedagogy – implies engaging children in educational activities that will foster well-being and overall development (ThemPra, 2014); (3) attachment theory – has to do with psychological connectedness and building healthy relationships (Golding, 2008); and (4) resilience theory – is closely connected to the attachment theory – “developing well despite risk status or exposure to adversity” (Masten and Powell, 2003, p.2). These theories echo the principles of IDDR.

Methodology: The purpose of the paper is to explore the assertion that education has not been given the attention that it deserves in the IDDA annual observances. This necessitates analysing UNISDR documents, related research work and linked theoretical perspectives, which translates into employing a qualitative approach (Creswell, 2014; Denscombe, 2007). For research work of this nature, the literature examined is the ‘population’ (Comerasamy, 2012).

Conclusion: Initial analysis from the research done so far reveals that there is need for a more focused attention on the ‘theory and practice’ of education in UNISDRR programmes. Recognition of the Rights of the Child is not enough to address all the complexities and related issues that disasters bring. Guided actions and the application of the UNISDR principles become imperatives in emergency situations. The uninvited visits of disasters are not licenses to exclude learners from education; nor are they authorisations to sideline well-needed education services. It is therefore incumbent on UNISDR and MoEs to create visible open spaces for education, as well as to make the ‘education silences’ inaudible with a view to including everyone in education during conflicts and disasters. The authors’ experiences in the involvement of ensuring continuing education during, and in the aftermath of disasters, are clear indications that meaningful education activities are necessary and possible. It therefore seems reasonable to advance this precept: Education in emergencies is as crucial as natural and man-made disasters are inevitable.

Author

• Steve Azaiki, Institute of Science & Technology, Yenagoa