The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Dhaka

Speakers at a seminar here yesterday underlined the need for introducing disaster-related curriculums at school level to minimise disaster losses, which would help achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Acquiring knowledge of facing disaster is important as natural calamities slow down the progress of attaining MDGs of eradicating poverty, universal primary education, gender parity, reducing dropout rate and malnutrition of children, they said on the second day of a two-day seminar here.

The seminar titled 'Disaster and Education' was jointly organised by Advancing Public Interest Trust (APIT) and weekly magazine the Shaptahik with the support of ActionAid at the Jatiya Press Club here.

Yesterday's session titled 'Disaster, Economy and Human Development: Roadblock in Achieving MDG-2 by 2015' was chaired by renowned educationist Professor Muzaffer Ahmed and moderated by editor of the Shaptahik Golam Mortoza. Country Director of ActionAid Bangladesh Farah Kabir and Director of Disaster Management Bureau Abu Sadeque spoke as the special guests.

Rayhan Sharif and Maliha Shahjahan of APIT presented papers at the seminar.

Former Vice Chancellor of Dhaka University (DU) Prof Moniruzzaman Miah, former education minister Sheikh Shahidul Islam, former MP GM Quader, coordinator of ActionAid Bangladesh Mohammad Muntasim Tanvir, member of secondary curriculum wing NCTB UK Hosneara Begum and Sabbir Bin Shams of APIT took part in the discussion, among others.

In his keynote paper, Rayhan said, minimum 3.5 crore people could be aware about preparedness and post-recovery of disaster through introducing disaster-related education.

"As per 2005 statistics, 2,36,24,210 students were at the formal schools" he said adding "If only 30 percent of them could effectively communicate to their families, 3.47 crore people would be capable to face disaster," he said.

Prof Muzaffer laid emphasise on proper use of country's land and water bodies for achieving the desired development goals.

A comprehensive plan needs to be formulated with joint efforts of academia, government officials and development activists to face the disasters through development of human resources.

Prof Muzaffer suggested intensifying boy scouts and girl guides movement across the country as they can perform as volunteers before and after the disasters.

Director of DMB Abu Sadeque said after the Sidr the government has reviewed the existing Standing Order on Disaster for updating it and as well as prepared a disaster management plan.

He said the country needs a disaster management law and a draft of the proposed law has already been prepared by the ministry. "We have also been working to turn the existing maritime port-cyclone warning signals into a people oriented disaster warning system as all of the coastal areas could easily understand the signals and take necessary steps.

ActionAid Bangladesh chief Farah Kabir stressed the need for considering the disaster management and risk reduction factors during planning any development programme for ensuring a sustainable growth of the country.

The other speakers of the seminar said a holistic learning system and materials related to disaster risk reduction should be included in the both formal and non-formal schools as well as teachers should be trained on disaster management.

The knowledge of disaster risk reduction provides rudimentary information, concepts, skills and capacities for early preparedness, survival during disasters and swift post-disaster recovery, they said

A good number of educationists and disaster experts, representatives of government, non-government and donor organizations took part in the seminar.