Mainstreaming disaster risk reduction in the policy framework of the education sector : the case of Dr Kenneth Kaunda District Municipality, Republic of South Africa

Abstract

Globally, disasters have increased and their impact has been intensely felt around the world and in South Africa. When disasters strike, large segments of the population are faced with devastating consequences that hamper the normal day-to-day activities of individuals. One of the sectors most adversely affected by disasters in the education sector. In the event of a disaster, children are some of the most affected; schooling systems are disrupted, and a fundamental right of children – the right to education – is taken away. Disasters destroy infrastructure, and children are unable to get to and/or attend school, which affects their education and exacerbates their vulnerability. The challenges disasters bring to the education sector should compel governments to make safety at schools a top priority. One way of prioritizing school safety is through the mainstreaming of disaster risk reduction into the policies of the Department of Education. Moreover, knowledge and skills transfer for dealing with disasters, hazards and risks are required in the form of awareness campaigns around communities. The purpose of this study is to evaluate if disaster risk reduction is mainstreamed in the policies of the Department of Education in South Africa, with the Dr Kenneth Kaunda District used as a case study. A qualitative research design was adopted for the study, where purposeful sampling techniques were used to select participants in the study. Content analysis and specifically, summative and conventional content analysis methods were used to evaluate if DRR is mainstreamed into the policies of the Department of Basic Education in South Africa. In this regard, ten (10) policy documents were reviewed. A keyword search was used to ascertain if DRR is mainstreamed into the policies of the Department of Basic Education. In lieu of the fact that not everybody might be familiar and use the word disaster risk reduction, the keyword search was expanded to include other words such as disaster risk management, disaster management, disaster, hazard, disaster risk, safety and disaster resilience. Empirical data was also collected from respondents at provincial, district and schools level. A total of 22 respondents participated in the study through semi-structured, face-to-face interviews. The main finding of the study is that disaster risk reduction is not mainstreamed in the policies of the Department of Basic Education in South Africa, as there is no evidence of DDR in the policies and the context in which alternative keywords are used in the policies of the department cannot lead to a conclusion that DRR is mainstreamed. Moreover, respondents at district level argued that they implement policies that are developed at the national and provincial level and therefore they recommended that mainstreaming of DRR (disaster risk reduction) into the policies of the Department of Education must be done at national levels. They further recommended that DRR must also be mainstreamed in the curriculum and that educators must be adequately capacitated for this new challenge. Some of the respondents were of the view that, where DRR is not mainstreamed in the policies, schools should have safety and security policies and committees to address safety issues in schools. Respondents further argued that a lack of finances and resources to deal with disasters in schools always hamper the implementation of safety and security measures. In light of the hazards prevalent that affect schooling in South Africa, mainstreaming of DRR into the Education Department is highly recommended: more awareness campaigns must be carried out around the community and the Department of Education must work with disaster management authorities.