Preparedness: Development of Disaster Management Skills in students

Preparedness: Development of Disaster Management Skills in students 

Education is not only assimilation of information and imparting bookish knowledge to students but that information and knowledge must be applied either for earning livelihood or saving life from any unforeseen disaster. Our curriculum covers all areas of learning through skilful education. With this purpose a textbook on disaster management, “Together towards safer India Part-III” is applied in class X course. We teach all kinds of drills such as fire evacuation, earthquake evacuation, flood evacuation etc. We explain and demonstrate all survival skills, safe construction practices, communication during disasters and sharing responsibilities. Schools are giving emphasis on practical drills while teaching such content.

In past we have witnessed many unforeseen fire tragedies where the children were being involved, like the fire tragedy of Kumbakonam in which 93 children charred to death, Dabwali fire accident in which 400 including 170 children died and recently in Surat fire tragedy, 21 students between ages 14-17 lost their lives.

Now the big question arises, where did we lack that our students are unable to apply the skills learnt in the classroom to such extreme situation?  Whenever any mishap happens, instead of the knowledge acquired as well as mock drills performed in the schools, young ones are unable to apply in such unforeseen situations.

The bookish knowledge about disaster management like definitions, types, planning disaster management & communication sources are only learnt and crammed by the students for examinations to attempt questions based on this and to get the best scores.
I believe the most probable reason is the mindset and upbringing.

The mind set of parents, society and community. Parents provide every single help to their children and over protect them so much that they are unable to learn to take decision. Children lack in decision making skills when needed. We might have seen instances in which two neighbours are fighting because of the fight happened between their children. We are growing our children making them career orientated and feeding in their minds to do something by which they can earn a luxurious life in future and become totally ignorant towards the life skills development in our children.

Another reason is that disaster management is taken up as a social service. It is the outlook of people that disaster management is the responsibility of Government, NGO’s, and social workers etc. Many do feel that it will be a low profile occupation to be taken up in future.

Hence, the internal pressure from the family on the children is to stay away from such acts as well as the people who are involved in rescue or disaster drills because that will be just a time waste or a distraction from their goals set for the life.

The disaster drill activities done in schools are being thoroughly enjoyed by the children and published in school newsletters/magazines with stunning photographs but after that children forget the “SURVIVAL SKILLS”. Only children will be asked to submit project and theory based questions to attempt in the examination.

Now the question arises, what to do to develop life skills in children? Apart from conducting activities like mock drills, street plays, campaigns, poster making, projects, survey etc, firstly parents, society & community to be made aware that let the children learn decisive skills, do not over protect them and do not de-motivate them if they help others. Provide help & support in developing strengths in the children to face the challenges.

Secondly, reflex generating activities are to be encouraged in the schools. Thirdly, practicals on disaster management must be hands on experience based, each student should be asked to showcase or display physically, the survival skills which they have learnt in the course, which might further help them to enhance reflex and take decision in such situations. This way we will prepare our children not to cry but to face boldly such situation. 

At last, Steven Cyros said “Remember when disaster strikes, the time to prepare have passed”.  Preparedness is not one day miracle. It has to be learnt over a period to tackle adversity skilfully.