Emergency education: the missing dimension in education policy
View/ Open
Date
2004-10-26Author
Sherry Chand, Vijaya
Joshi, Samir
Dabhi, Ramji
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Large numbers of children regularly experience educational disruption because of natural
disasters. Donor and rehabilitation agencies, using an ‘emergency education’ framework,
have usually addressed the immediate needs of such children and longer-term educational
reconstruction. However, the imperative of continuous educational access to all children,
and the need for resource and curricular policies to deal with frequent disruption, call
for the inclusion of an emergency education dimension in traditional educational policy.
This article outlines the features of such a dimension by drawing on the experiences of
an earthquake rehabilitation effort in India (2001-02). Policies that target an improved
post-crisis educational system create an opportunity to redress past disadvantages. Helping
local educational institutions build capacities in curriculum development and continuing
education of emergency personnel is crucial. Some new features highlighted include tracking
local demographic shifts with the help of local leaders and the use of innovative teachers to
handle children’s immediate recreational needs.
Collections
- Journal Articles [3735]