Disaster Risk Reduction in School Curricula: Case Studies ... - Unicef

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Section 10.
Case 6:
The Case Studies
Cambodia
Overview
Cambodia offers an example of curriculum
development according to a strategic
ministerial decision ‘that integration of
DRR topics into subjects already taught
would be more effective than creating
a new subject’ (ADPC, 2010). It also
provides an example of lower secondary
level curriculum development focused
on the physical science subjects that,
in turn, provides a springboard for the
development of DRR-related curricula
in another secondary grade and one
primary grade.
Introduction
The Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction (MDRD) Education
Project, Phase 1, 2004-8, initiated the first curricular response
to disaster risk reduction in Cambodian schools. There ‘was
no major educational programme or curriculum related to DRR
in Cambodia before this project’ (ADPC, 2008: 19). Phase 2
of the Project followed in 2008-9.
The Project is the Cambodian arm of a three-country initiative
of the Regional Consultative Committee (RCC) on Disaster
Management to assist Ministries of Education integrate DRR
in the secondary school curriculum (ibid: 10). In each country,
the project developed lower secondary curricula: in Lao PDR
and the Philippines in Science and Social Science in grade 7
and in Cambodia in Geography and Earth Studies in grade 8,
the topics covered being floods, storms, drought, earthquakes,
volcanic eruptions, prevention/mitigation and safety measures
(ibid: 11, 12; ADPC, 2010)
The Cambodian initiative was the co-joint responsibility of the
National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM) and the
Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MoEYS) and was
implemented by a Project Technical Working Group who
drafted the educational materials. The piloting took place in
10 schools spread out over four districts in four provinces and
involved 847 students (of whom 239 were girls) in phase 1
alone, and some 1,200 students in phases 1 and 2 (ADPC,
2008, 2010). The provinces were chosen by the government
according to ‘perception of risk and priority,’ each province
being among those most affected by the 2000 flooding of the
Mekong delta (ADPCb, 2008, 24, 56). There were three
training sessions of trainers (TOTs) in addition to the instruction
of 109 teachers and 18 officials (ibid: 13).
Curriculum Development/Integration
DRR was integrated into the pilot curriculum through the
insertion of chapters into the standard textbook for Geography
and Earth Studies; the writing of a separate student textbook
covering a range of potential hazards; a Teacher’s Manual for
grade 8 Geography and Earth Studies giving details of duration,
resources required, student activities and teaching methods
(MoEYS, 2008). The lessons focus primarily on floods, but
also include some coverage of volcanic eruptions, earthquakes
and hurricanes, drought and deforestation.
Specific lesson topics added to the Geography and Earth
Studies curriculum include: flood disaster in Asia, flooding and
child protection measures, flooding risks, flood risk reduction
through forestry protection, types of flood and protection from
each type, school flood mitigation measures, avoiding flood
risk, coastal flooding, causes of floods and drought, impacts
of floods, starvation caused by floods and drought, volcanic
eruptions, earthquakes and hurricanes (Ibid). Some lessons
focus on Asia in general, some on regions of South East Asia
and East Asia, some on Cambodia or other specific Asian
countries (ibid).
Disaster Risk Reduction in School Curricula: Case Studies from Thirty Countries