Disaster Preparedness Week in Schools 2012

Ministry of Education has initiated implementation of Disaster Preparedness weeks in schools.

Week 01: 26 Feb to 1 March 2012

Theme: Disaster Preparedness in schools

Objective

· To reduce the damage and loss (of human and materials) in schools by a hazard through:

o Educating the Maldivian student population on prevention and preparedness methodologies that can be undertaken at school level

o Enabling the Maldivian student population to practice preparedness activities at school level

Strategy and Programme Overview

1. Implementation or practice of School Emergency Operation Plan (SEOP)

(a) All schools will formulate their School Emergency Operation Plan (SEOP) – as per the ‘Guide for “School Emergency Operations Plan” – Maldives’, complete Appendix 1 sample plan. Schools can contact MoE for technical assistance.

OR

(b) If the school has already completed the School Emergency Operations Plan, school can organise a drill or a simulation based on one of the scenarios provided in the ‘Guide for “School Emergency Operations Plan” – Maldives’. The school management is encouraged to hold the drill with the participation of the whole school population before the end of the week. Schools can contact MoE for technical assistance.

Where MRC branches and units exist, schools can consult them for assistance in First Aid components and to be partners in the work outlined above.

2. Disaster Preparedness awareness messages (learning by doing)

· Kindergarten to Grade 02 Level

o Drawing or coloring class/competition on:

What to do during a fire (run out of the building covering nose and mouth, if smoke is there crouch cover covering nose and mouth and run out of the building)

What to do during a flood (Kindergarten students can be given drawings to color. Be given small story books to color. Grade 1 and 02 can do drawing competitions as well.

· Primary Level

o Choose 1 or two types of incidents can happen in a school (fire, floods, tsunami, electricity blackout etc – refer to ‘Guide for “School Emergency Operations Plan” – Maldives’ for possible hazards) make an assignment on:

· What should you do if you are in school if this happens

· What are the equipments/skills that need to be in school to make sure that incidents like this do not get worse

OR

o An essay/drawing competition/comic competition on “why my school needs to be prepared of disasters”

OR

Conduct ‘Basic Life Support’ (First Aid) for selected school students and teachers

· Secondary level

o Students have to make an assignment on:

What are the main types of hazards that occur in Maldives – choose any 3 (Tsunami, Flooding due to rain, ‘Udha’, gust winds etc)

What sort of damages can the above hazards cause to a school (if it occurs while a student is in school?)

What are different preparedness actions that can be taken in a school to be prepared for each of the hazards above

What sort of equipments or trainings can be given to students to reduce the harm caused by such events

OR

o An essay/drawing competition/comic competition on “impact of natural disasters on children and young adults”

OR

o Conduct ‘Basic Life Support’ (First Aid) for selected school students and teachers

· Higher Secondary Level

o An essay/debate competition on “Be prepared, Save Lives – role of schools in reducing loss and damage during a disaster”

o A research assignment on

· Disaster Preparedness in schools at the global level – a case study on a programme in another country and how they are disaster prepared and what they do

OR

o Conduct ‘Basic Life Support’ (First Aid) for selected school students and teachers