Linking Disaster Preparedness Education to Risk Awareness: Should We Teach Our Kids About Risk?

Abstract

Abstract School community could be considered as a vulnerable group, but at the same time, it has a potential role in reducing the risk of disaster. Teaching the school communities about the risk and how to manage it might bring significant effect to the awareness and readiness in facing disaster. Twenty-four respondents from four secondary schools in Yogyakarta were voluntary participated in the interview to investigate DRR program implementation. The respondents consist of school principals (8 people), and teachers (16 people). The results show that disaster preparedness education has been integrated into several school subjects such as Physics (33.33 %), Geography (20.83 %), Physical Education (16.67 %), Bahasa (12.33 %), and Natural Sciences (12.33 %), and Arts (4.17 %). About 29.17 % of the participants admitted that they still do not have enough knowledge about the risk of disaster after learning about Volcanoes Eruption, Earthquakes, and Tsunami. About 41.67 % of the participants feel they know about what to do after having evacuation drills. However, 83.33 % of the participants feel unconfident that they will be able to take proper action when a disaster occurs. Thus, in reducing the risk of disaster, teaching the risk of natural disaster and how to reduce it through Physics is possible to do as contextual learning, especially for students who schooled at a disaster-prone area.