Now, U.P. school students to learn disaster management from class 1

PRAYAGRAJ: Government-run primary and upper primary schools in Uttar Pradesh are set to include disaster management as a separate course for students in classes 1 to 8. This marks the first time that students in the Hindi heartland state will receive lessons in disaster management right from class 1, alongside subjects like Hindi, English, and Mathematics.

Presently, disaster management is integrated into the Geography curriculum in over 1.50 lakh government-run schools in the state. However, recognizing the importance of comprehensive preparedness, the state basic education department officials have initiated the development of a dedicated curriculum for disaster management. The goal is to equip the approximately 2 crore children in these schools to face future challenges effectively.

Under the guidance of U.P. Director General (School Education) Vijay Kiran Anand, experts from the State Education Institute (SEI)-Prayagraj, a unit of the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) in Lucknow, have been tasked with crafting the curriculum. A letter from the Joint Director of SCERT, Lucknow to the Principal of the State Institute of Education, Prayagraj on November 10 outlines the steps to be taken.

Experts at the State Institute of Education are actively working on formulating a distinct curriculum for primary (classes 1 to 5) and upper primary (classes 6 to 8) schools. According to Assistant Deputy Education Director of SIE, Deepti Mishra, the curriculum is being developed by subject experts in adherence to provided guidelines.

Currently, some aspects of disaster management are covered in books for classes 6 to 8. For instance, the class 8 book ‘India: Resources and Development’ delves into topics such as the concept of disaster, types of disaster, natural disasters, causes and management, disaster management in India, institutional structure of disaster management, and elements of disaster management.

Likewise, the book ‘Scout Guide Education’ for classes 6 to 8 addresses safety measures, including fire safety, handling cooking gas leaks, using fire extinguishers, and providing treatment for drowning. Chapter 13 of the book ‘Disasters in our environment and their management’ for classes 6 to 8 covers various disaster-related topics, including AIDS, COVID-19, and institutional structures, stages, and measures to avoid disasters. The initiative aims to provide a holistic understanding of disaster management to students at an early stage of their education.

Photo Caption: Students and teachers at a government-run primary school in Prayagraj (HT File Photo)