Building Back Better Classrooms: Integrating Disaster Risk Reduction into National Education Frameworks. A Case Study of Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62497/irjed.247Keywords:
disaster risk reduction, education, build back better, national curriculum, teacher training, school infrastructure, psychosocial supportAbstract
Introduction: Pakistan ranks among the most disaster-prone countries globally, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa bearing a disproportionate burden of earthquake and flood-related devastation. Despite the catastrophic 2005 Kashmir earthquake and the recurring floods of 2010 and 2022, disaster risk reduction remains inadequately integrated into national education frameworks. This study examines how DRR can be embedded within school systems in Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, to build resilient learning environments.
Materials and Methods: This study employed a descriptive mixed-methods design. A total of 120 participants, including 80 school teachers, 25 school administrators, and 15 disaster management officials from Swat district, were recruited using purposive sampling. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire comprising Likert-scale items and open-ended questions, supplemented by semi-structured interviews with key informants. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS version 26, while qualitative responses underwent thematic analysis.
Results: The majority of participants acknowledged that schools in Swat remain structurally vulnerable to seismic and hydrometeorological hazards. Teachers reported minimal formal training in DRR (mean = 2.4 ± 1.1), yet demonstrated moderate awareness of emergency protocols (mean = 3.5 ± 0.9). Administrators identified lack of funding, absence of national DRR curriculum guidelines, and poor inter-agency coordination as primary barriers. Notably, schools that had received post-2010 reconstruction support under Build Back Better principles exhibited significantly higher resilience scores compared to non-reconstructed institutions (p < 0.01). Qualitative findings revealed that teachers viewed psychosocial support and hazard-responsive infrastructure as more urgently needed than curricular additions alone.
Conclusion: The findings underscore that integrating DRR into national education frameworks requires more than policy rhetoric. Without dedicated teacher training, hazard-resistant infrastructure, and context-specific curriculum integration, schools in disaster-prone regions like Swat will remain vulnerable. A collaborative human-pedagogy approach, where DRR becomes an everyday classroom practice rather than an emergency response, offers the most sustainable pathway forward.
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