MAINSTREAMING CCA/DRR INTO BASIC SCHOLS IN GHANA

presented by: Andrew Osei, UNICEF Ghana

CONTEXTThe Ghana Education Service (GES) is implementing a Child Friendly School (CFS) programme. Mainstreaming Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk reduction (CCA/DRR) is an integral part of the CFS programme for these explicit reasons:

1. The National Disaster Management Service Bill in 2009 states that teaching of disaster should be positioned as an important component of any disaster risk management in the country

2. The Education Reform policy provides for the integration of CCA/DRR into the curicula

It is also known that:

3. Children can be powerful agents of change/reinforcement, provided they have knowledge about how to prepare in advance, how to act on warnings and how to reduce risks at home and in their communities

4. The lack of disaster preparedness may lead to - damage or destruction of the physical infrastructure of schools, disruption of schooling, cause great economic loss for many children, death and injury of school children and staff

Subjects with Disaster Components at Primary School Level

Subjects

Pages with

Requisite DRR Concern

Citizenship Education 2-81Creative Arts Primary 1-3 9-44Creative Arts Primary 4-6 2-75English Language Primary 1-3 21-84English Language Primary 4-6 21-93Ghanaian Languages And Culture 1-71ICT Primary 1-6 1-23Integrated Science Syllabus Primary 1-6 1-33Mathematics Syllabus Primary 1-6 15-134Natural Science Syllabus Primary 1-6 1-33Physical Education Primary 1-6 1-73

Subjects with Disaster Components at Junior High School Level

SubjectsPages with

Requisite DRR Concern

English Language JHS 1JHS 2JHS 3

1-2934-6267-92

Ghanaian Languages And Culture 1-3 1-71ICT JHS1-3 1-35Integrated Science Syllabus JHS 1-3 1-60Mathematics Syllabus JHS 1-3 1-27Physical Education JHS 1-3 1-59Social Studies JHS 1-3 1-41

Source: MOE Office (2011)

Actions taken by GES include:

1. Lead a stakeholder meeting in November to Pilot the CCADRR Resource Manual

2. Constituted a working group to develop road map to implement the mainstreaming

initiative

3. Developed an integrated in service teacher training manual on 3 pillars.

i. Teachers will receive skills and competencies to deliver lessons to promote behaviour

change/reinforcement

ii. Schools will use Parent Teacher Association /School Management Committees (PTA/SMC)

as platforms to :

- Establish School Disaster Management Committees

- Conduct Risk Mapping

- Develop community specific Disaster Management Plans

iii. Strengthening/formation of school clubs to reinforce child led learning, simulations and

demonstrations

4. CRDD is collaborating with Teacher Education to introduce CCA/DRR issues into pre-

service teacher training programmes

Way Forward• Ghana Education Service sustained commitment• Improving inter sectoral collaboration on CCA/DRR • Strengthening monitoring, review, information

sharing and integration into EMIS• Providing basic supplies/ logistics to support

implementation of School Disaster Management Plans• Strengthening private sector participation in

CCA/DRR in schools e.g. media• Identifying champions of DRR in schools e.g.

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