Disaster management in curricula for classes 2, 7, 10 and 12

Experts in the field of disaster management such as director of disaster management, faculty members of JRD Tata School of Disaster Studies and NGOs will be included in the curriculum committee of SCERT, which prepares the new syllabus.

In addition to the curriculum, SCERT in collaboration with disaster management rehabilitation scheme of the Revenue Department will also impart disaster management awareness training to middle school teachers in the State.

A senior official from SCERT told DT Next that the concepts of disaster management and relief measures will be included in subjects such as Tamil, English, Geography and Social Science.

The official said that after the 2015 deluge in Chennai and some neighbouring regions, the government felt it was necessary to impart intensive knowledge about disaster management to school students so that they would be prepared during calamities.

He said empowering the students at a young age on the preventive aspects, various services to be rendered, inculcating compassion, a sense of belonging and to take upon oneself the onerous duty of helping the suffering humanity in a disaster, will be the desirable outcome of the syllabus.

Stating that information on disaster management would provide students, contemporary and relevant details about local environments, he said, “It would prepare them for participation in both pre- and post-disaster activities of the affected/vulnerable community on a wider scale,” adding, “It would combine past experience with recent developments in technology to combat disasters.”

Apart from adding disaster management information in the new syllabus, the SCERT has also planned to create awareness on disaster management among school students by organising periodic oratorical, essay and drawing competitions for classes VI to XII.