ASEAN safe school conference report

By: Meimei Leung The first ASEAN Regional Conference on School Safety was held on 16-17 December 2015 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. This event was led by the ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management and the Senior Officials Meeting for Education, in collaboration with the...

School Safety in the Philippines

In 2010, the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act was passed, and DepEd created the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO) as the focal point in planning, implementing, coordinating and monitoring activities related to disaster risk reduction, education in emergencies and climate change adaptation. Other roles included initiating and coordinating activities with government agencies and civil society organisations, and serving as the clearinghouse for all school safety resources including production and issuance of teaching and learning materials, and distribution of school kits. With the creation of DRRMO, a Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Focal Point for each region and division was assigned.

School Safety in Lao PDR

The Government of Lao PDR has been building the resilience of the education sector through the development of specific disaster risk reduction curriculum from grades 3 to 6 of primary and secondary schools. This initiative is a partnership between the National Disaster Management Office, the National Research Institute for Education Sciences and the Ministry of Education and Sports. It includes the development of disaster risk reduction manuals for teachers, and disaster risk reduction training for teachers and education officials. More recently, Lao PDR is focusing on safe building construction. Guidelines for school building construction,1 approved by the Ministry of Education and Sports, are available.

School Safety in Indonesia

The Government of Indonesia has shown strong commitment to ensuring school safety. The Disaster Management Law and National Action Plan for Disaster Risk Reduction acknowledge education as one of the priority sectors. In 2010, the Ministry of Education and Culture established the National Secretariat for Safe Schools (Sekretariat Nasional Sekolah Aman – SEKNAS) issuing a circular letter that encouraged the mainstreaming of disaster risk reduction into the school curriculum, and created a Special Allocation Fund for safe school rehabilitation.1 In 2012, the government issued Guidelines for the Implementation of Safe Schools and Madrasas (Islamic schools).

School Safety in Cambodia

In Cambodia’s Strategic National Action Plan for Disaster Risk Reduction, the education sector is highlighted in two of its six components, which have provided a framework for school safety efforts in Cambodia. Subsequently, a number of initiatives have been implemented, including: the integration of disaster risk reduction into the school curricula of Grade 8’s Earth science and geography subjects, development of school construction guidelines, and issuance of a child-friendly school policy, which promotes child’s basic rights, and emphasises child-centred disaster risk reduction and school safety initiatives, including child protection from disasters.