Abstract
A key imperative of Botswana’s adherence to international, regional and local policy on disaster risk reduction (DRR) relates to creating awareness and an understanding of disaster risk. One avenue of creating an understanding of risk is vested in the integration of DRR into primary school curriculums. Botswana has been slow to adhere to the above-mentioned policy imperatives. This paper argues that the slow pace of integration has been driven by a combination of a lack of clarity on the most appropriate teaching methodology through which to deliver information to young students on a topic as complex as DRR, as well as a general lack of policy and resource support from national government. These assertions are tested in a mixed-method research design that included questionnaires, document reviews and interviews. Questionnaires were administered to 30 teachers drawn from six primary schools in Gaborone, as well as in-depth interviews with two key informants drawn from the Curriculum Development Unit and National Disaster Management Office. The study finds that the experiential learning (EL) method provides an appropriate method by which DRR knowledge can be conveyed within the existing curriculum, as many teachers who have taken the innovative step of integrating DRR into their existing subjects are already implementing key components associated with the EL model. It is also established that although EL provides many potential benefits for an integrated DRR curriculum, the lack of clear policy direction and lack of various supporting resources are preventing the method benefits from being realised for Botswana primary schools.
Highlights
This article reports on findings on the level of disaster risk reduction1 (DRR) knowledge that teachers working in public and private schools in Gaborone have, and how they perceive the integration of DRR into the existing primary school curriculum2
The intention of the question was to gauge the level of understanding of basic DRR concepts amongst teachers, and if this understanding was facilitated through their own personal experiences or through dedicated training and skills development around the topic
Teachers and an official from the Curriculum Development Unit (CDU) and NDMO revealed the lack of clear educational policy and institutional objectives that could guide the integration of DRR into primary school curriculums remains the biggest obstacle to integration efforts
Summary
This article reports on findings on the level of disaster risk reduction (DRR) knowledge that teachers working in public and private schools in Gaborone have, and how they perceive the integration of DRR into the existing primary school curriculum. This article was driven by a review of the Botswana Government’s reporting on progress on Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) indicators relating to the integration of DRR into formal and nonformal education. This is followed up with questionnaires with teachers and interviews with key informants from the government to ascertain the level of teachers’ DRR knowledge and their impressions as to current curriculum integration efforts. Disasters cause losses in life, damage to critical infrastructure and delays in crucial services These impacts can be observed in the education sector, with a countless number of lives lost and children’s education postponed indefinitely. Some of the benefits of DRR curriculum integration as expounded by Barakat et al (2010:21), Shaw (2012:232), Tunner et al (2009:57); Venton and Venton (2012:5)
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