Disaster risk reduction integration into school curriculum: A global analysis

Abstract

Climate change and associated disaster risks are contemporary issues of global concern. The school is a transformation agent with a crucial disaster reliance cascading potential which dovetails with the United Nations Sendai framework for disaster risk reduction 2015-2030. This paper reviews the literature on the disaster risk reduction (DRR) curriculum integration imperative and milestones achieved globally to date. School curricula, as conduits for disaster resilience, are explored using the lens of ideal DRR education dimensions to predict achievements, challenges, and opportunities to strengthen this integration imperative. Reviewed literature contributes to our theoretical and empirical scope of DRR to strengthen global resilience to recurrent disasters. Literature implied the need to raise pedagogy above the knowledge dimension of DRR and harness skills and attitudes in the response, action, participation, and integration dimensions. The paper recommends ensuring disaster resilience propagation through the innovative and holistic framework of integration of DRR into the school curriculum. The frameworks should consider pedagogical assessment matrices guided by DRR education dimensions in the learners’ social context.