Teaching disaster preparedness in high school

About the event

Following the consultation workshop held in July 2025, Dhankuta Municipality and ICIMOD jointly agreed to develop and integrate a chapter on disaster preparedness into the grade 8 school curriculum for the current academic year. Integrating disaster education at an early age is critical to building a culture of safety and resilience within communities, ensuring that children understand risks and can respond effectively during emergencies. This initiative is aligned with the Comprehensive School Safety Framework (CSSF) 2022–2030 of UNICEF, which promotes safe learning environments and the mainstreaming of disaster risk reduction (DRR) into school systems.

In collaboration with the municipality’s Curriculum Development Committee (CDC), ICIMOD has drafted a chapter that introduces basic disaster concepts, emphasises the importance of preparedness, and provides practical guidance on minimising risks. The chapter includes “dos and don’ts” for various disaster scenarios and includes step-by-step tutorials on using early warning systems (EWS) available through web and mobile platforms developed by the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM) and ICIMOD. By combining theory with practice knowledge, the chapter offers students an engaging and hands-on learning experience that strengthens their disaster rediness.

To support the rollout, a Training of Trainers (ToT) has been designed for high school teachers teaching grade 8 in Dhankuta Municipality. The ToT will enhance teachers’ understanding of disaster preparedness, strengthen their capacity to deliver the curriculum efficiently, and gather feedback to further refine the course. Following the training, a short orientation and discussion session will be organised for school principals to ensure institutional alignment and support for effective curriculum implementation.

Jointly organised by ICIMOD, Dhankuta Municipality, and Human Rights, Social Awareness and Development Centre (HUSADEC), the ToT will take place from 28–30 November 2025 in Dhankuta. It aims to equip teachers with both the knowledge and practical skills to respond to disaster risks and to foster shared ownership of the initiative.

By embedding disaster preparedness and early warning concepts into the formal education system, the initiative strengthens the foundation for resilient communities and empowers youth as proactive agents of disaster risk reduction and resilience building.

Objectives

The main objective of this ToT is to build the capacity of high-school teachers with the knowledge and skills needed to effectively teach the disaster preparedness. The specific objectives are as following:

• Build capacity of teachers through hands-on training on the developed teaching materials and approaches tailored to local school context.
• Conduct practical sessions on disaster preparedness, including appropriate actions before, during and after disaster events as well as basic first aid techniques.
• Gather structured feedback from participants to refine and finalise the chapter on disaster preparedness ensuring its relevance and effectiveness for classroom delivery.

Expected outcomes

The Training of Trainers (ToT) program is expected to achieve the following outcomes:

• Enhanced teaching capacity of Grade 8 teachers and school principals to effectively deliver the disaster preparedness chapter, integrating both theoretical concepts and practical applications such as early warning use and basic first aid.
• Refined and finalised educational materials through participant feedback, ensuring the disaster preparedness chapter is contextually relevant, engaging, and aligned with local curriculum needs.
• Strengthened institutional collaboration and school readiness among ICIMOD, HUSADEC, and Dhankuta Municipality schools, promoting the integration of disaster education and fostering a culture of safety and resilience among students.