Implementing the disaster education program at an elementary school in the devastating tsunami affected area: A case study in Aceh, Indonesia

Abstract

The earthquake and tsunami that struck the Indonesian province of Aceh at the end of December 2004 killed over 170,000 people, including those from the community where this research was conducted, the village of Deah Glumpang, Meuraxa sub–district, Banda Aceh. Nearly 95 percent of the houses and buildings were wiped out by the tsunami and more than 80 percent of the people living in this area were killed. One of the reasons why such a heartbreaking tragedy occurred was that people including students had never known or been taught about disaster mitigation. Learning from this condition, SDN 48, a state primary school located in the area, has offered a disaster education program to the students. The program has been going for more than two years and is feasible to study to see its impact on students. For this purpose, the researchers conducted interviews with the teachers including the school principal and students. It was found that the program has benefited both teachers and students in the knowledge of disaster mitigation. Nevertheless, their literacy on this issue is deemed still low. Therefore, the teacher respondents suggested improvements in the program that include continuous training for the teachers, better and upgraded facilities, and having parents be included in the program’s activities. The discussion reflects that incorporating the disaster education program into the curriculum could sustain its position as an important subject to be taught to students in schools located in disaster–prone areas.