The University of Valencia (UV) has presented a doctoral thesis analysing training policies in environmental education (EE) and disaster risk management (DRM) in the field of education in Peru, identifying connections with the situation in the Valencian Community following the weather phenomenon known as a DANA (isolated depression at high levels) in October 2024.
In Peru, the Budgetary Programme for the Reduction of Vulnerability and Emergency Response to Disasters (PREVAED 0068), implemented between 2013 and 2016, enabled the training of specialists in disaster risk management and environmental education. The programme aimed to reduce the vulnerability of educational institutions to disaster risks.
“These specialists developed capacities within the education sector (including educational authorities, school directors and teachers, according to their level of responsibility) to reduce vulnerabilities, prepare for and respond to emergencies and disasters. During emergencies, directors and teachers were provided with a pedagogical response kit containing educational materials to support affected pupils. They learnt procedures, protocols, strategies and methodologies to restore educational services as quickly as possible after adverse events”, explains Aurora Rubi Zegarra Huapaya, a doctoral student at the University of Valencia who is about to defend her thesis, “Conceptualisations of Environmental Education and Disaster Risk Management by Specialists from the Ministry of Education of Peru”, at the Valencian institution.
“This comprehensive approach to disaster risk management developed in Peru is particularly relevant for the Valencian Community, which has faced severe flooding during the recent DANA and frequently experiences similar phenomena”, notes Aurora Rubi Zegarra Huapaya. She believes the findings of the research offer insights into the need for similar prevention and training policies in local contexts, to promote a culture of prevention and resilience within the Valencian education system.
According to the researcher, in Peru, which is frequently affected by natural hazards such as high-intensity earthquakes, heavy rains and floods, landslides and the cyclical phenomenon El Niño, the educational community was prepared through nationwide drills. Schools were also equipped with disaster risk management plans, a model that could be applied in the Valencian context. The doctoral thesis was supervised by professors Javier García Gómez and Eugenio Salvador Ivorra Catalá as part of the Doctoral Programme in Specific Didactics at the University of Valencia.
“In Peru, it was crucial to develop this experience of managing disaster risks through public institutions at different levels of government, whose responsibility is to safeguard the lives of students, protect educational assets and ensure the continuity of educational services”, emphasises Aurora Rubi Zegarra Huapaya.
The Safe School training programme, developed within the framework of PREVAED, strengthened the skills of 500 specialists who trained 12,000 authorities and specialists, 92,325 directors and teachers from 36,927 educational institutions, who, in turn, received training to replicate disaster risk management and environmental education practices. During this period, in emergency situations, 13,088 schools were rehabilitated, ensuring educational continuity for more than 274,000 students and 15,000 teachers. The results highlight that 92% of the specialists demonstrated strong competences in applying DRM in education, integrated environmental education into their actions and reinforced a culture of prevention in Peruvian schools.
Annex photo caption:
- Aurora Rubi Zegarra Huapaya, doctoral student at the University of Valencia.
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