Comprehensive school safety needed for uninterrupted education

A comprehensive school safety programme is needed for uninterrupted education, especially in coastal and disaster prone areas of Bangladesh, experts said at a seminar in Krishibid Institution of Bangladesh on November 30. The day-long seminar titled “Knowledge Convention: promoting resilience and quality education through a safe school approach in Bangladesh” was organised jointly by Plan International Bangladesh (PIB) and the Ministry of Education and Disaster Management Division. “To fight against dropout rates in disaster and flood vulnerable areas, we need to collaborate with the government, NGOs and donor countries and organisations,” said the chief guest, Education Secretary Md Sohrab Hossain. These areas also need better skilled manpower, he added. “Following the launch of the project, students feel more encouraged to attend schools in Barguna and Lalmonirhat, rather than staying at home,” said Imamul Azam Shahi, head of disaster risk management and climate change at PIB. PIB started working on school programmes in 2007 with the view to fight against manmade and natural disasters to ensure uninterrupted education in remote areas in the country and has already made tremendous changes at these schools, said Sian Platt, director of business development, PIB. In the last 30 years, about 100 cyclones have hit the coastal areas of Bangladesh. Due to these disasters, about 15 lakh students dropped out of schools. Director of Research and Training Department of Disaster Management, Md Harun-ur-Rashid said: “Our country is very prone to disasters, and building constructions should definitely follow building codes to ensure they can weather disasters.” Yearly about 400 schools have to close due to floods, river erosion and coastal disasters, he added. “If a 7.5 magnitude earthquake hits Dhaka, more than 80,000 buildings are prone to destruction, whereas, Japan, a country more prone to earthquakes, has proven to be able to cope since they follow the building code. The government established the Disaster Management Institute to deal with natural mishaps,” he further said. Under the comprehensive school safety project, schools were built with a supply of electricity, pure water, disaster-safe zones, separate washrooms for boys and girls, facilities for physically challenged students, connection roads and bridgeways, first aid, health knowledge, recreation, and a running programme of tree plantation and awareness building. “Bangladesh is the 6th country most vulnerable to disaster. Capacity building, resilience of students and cooperation from the government level are also needed,” Regional Director of PIB, Soumya Guha said. Local teachers, students, education and field officers shared their experiences with the comprehensive school safety project and demanded continuation of the project. A schoolgirl from Barguna said she used to face a lot of trouble before the project transformed her school among many others. She expressed her satisfaction with the new school buildings which include modern facilities.” Mohammad Abdul Qayyum, director of Bangladesh Rural Development Board, Mahesh Chandro Ray, director of Primary Education Board, Md Jahangir Hossain, director of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education, were present among others at the seminar, presided by Soumya Guha.