School Services in support of
Disaster Prevention and Response

In line with those international efforts in which Peru participates, a stronger commitment is needed to ensure that its educational system methodically addresses the planet’s current situation, in order to develop a more accurate perception of existing problems and foster favorable attitudes and behaviors to achieving sustainable development.

In this sense, the educational system must provide people with training, for them to be able to prevent and face adverse circumstances such as emergencies or disasters, particularly because Peru is vulnerable to seism, floods, droughts and landslides, among other hazards. Thus, it is imperative to promote a new educational approach to disaster prevention.

In the context of the National Plan for Disaster Prevention and Response, the objectives of the program “Education for All”, and the proposal of the National Education Council (NEP) titled “Towards a National Education Project –NEP 2006-2021”, the project “School Services in support of Disaster Prevention and Response” was designed for students to acquire knowledge for their own development and their communities’ well-being (objective #2 NEP 2006-2021). The project also aims at establishing a society with better citizens through democratic local governments and their mobilization around local educational challenges (objective #6 NEP 2006-2021).

“School Services in support of Disaster Prevention and Response” is a community-focused project, whose main target group is composed of fourth-year high school students.

The project aims to consolidate the knowledge yielded through “Learning to Prevent”, and put it into practice in specific real-life situations that are familiar to the students. Project implementation will be a joint effort of the Ministry of Education and the National Civil Defense Institute (INDECI).

The primary purpose of the project is to contribute to raise awareness among citizens of their responsibilities to society and the environment. The number of prevention activities carried out in their communities will be a new learning experience by which students will be able to contextualize, expand, and give meaning to the knowledge and lessons they have gained in the classroom.

The project also seeks to promote the value of solidarity and instill in students a service-oriented attitude for disaster prevention and response. The District Civil Defense Committees will provide the space in these communities for developing and carrying out disaster prevention activities and for:

• Sharing experiences, debating, exchanging ideas, and respecting one another.
• Developing listening skills and learning to express one’s own opinions.
• Evaluating information critically and interpreting reality, taking into consideration all its complexities.
• Developing the personal capacity of citizens needed to build a strong culture of prevention.
• Practicing values and principles such as: cooperation, solidarity, humanitarian protection, self-help, planned and permanent action, the preeminence of the collective
  interest, and the convergence of efforts that allow people to transform their world into a safer environment.

“School Services in support of Disaster Prevention and Response” proposes innovative strategies in the field of teaching and the management of educational institutions. These strategies are oriented toward a more direct contact with the students’ own environment in order to foster and strengthen a culture of prevention.

The project views organized communities as the best resource for facing the most difficult moments during an emergency or a disaster situation. An attitudinal change among the population is needed to achieve conditions favorable for continued progress and the sustainability of these new strategies and social actions to mitigate the consequences of natural or technological disasters.

“School Services in support of Disaster Prevention and Response” will begin as a pilot program in the regions of Lima, Callao, Arequipa, San Martin, and Cajamarca. These regions were selected by the Ministry of Education and will be key to the creation of the Disaster Prevention and Response Network of the education sector.

Project activities will be implemented on Tuesdays, or Thursdays, during a total of 120 hours, which will be distributed among all participating District Civil Defense Committees throughout the 32-week academic year.

The lessons learned by the students in the pilot regions will be measured and monitored with evaluation indicators and levels of achievement, developed jointly by the Ministry of Education and INDECI’s National Education and Training Board.

Monitoring of the project implementation and guidance to Civil Defense Committee members will be carried out by:

• Designated point persons from the Regional Government Civil Defense Office and trainers from the Regional Government.
• Professionals from INDECI’s Education and Training Board and the OTUPIS’ Disaster Prevention Program Coordinator, who will conduct two visits to each of the selected regions.
• Professionals from the Regional Civil Defense Board of Lima, Arequipa, San Martin, and Cajamarca (ongoing monitoring).
• Disaster prevention specialists from the Regional Education Boards of Lima, Arequipa, San Martin, and Cajamarca (ongoing monitoring).
• Responsible faculty members from each educational institution (one monitoring visit per month).

Meetings will be held quarterly to coordinate and evaluate the actions of faculty members, specialists from the Regional Education Boards, and professionals from the Regional Civil Defense Boards.

As a result of these meetings, quarterly reports will be produced to detail both the progress and difficulties identified. This information will be used to learn from and improve upon the pilot program.

Photo: Plan Ecuador

At the end of the school year, the following key players will be recognized:

• Educational institutions will receive plaques and certificates of recognition from INDECI, the Ministry of Education, and the Regional Civil Defense Committee.
• Specialists from the Tutoring and Integrated Prevention Office (OTUPI), of the Ministry of Education, will receive certificates of recognition from INDECI and the Regional Civil Defense Committee.
• Specialists from OTUPI will receive certificates of recognition for their hours of service to the Ministry of Education’s community.
• Faculty members will receive certificates of recognition from INDECI and the Regional Civil Defense Board, as well as recognition of their service to the Ministry of Education’s community.
• The students will receive certificates and plaques in recognition of their work for the community and an official document from INDECI’s headquarters.
• Participating District Civil Defense Committees will receive plaques and certificates of recognition.

For further information, please contact:
Martha Giraldo, Education Advisor
National Education and Training Administration
Instituto Nacional de Defensa Civil
mgiraldo@indeci.gob.pe