Natia Jokhadze, director of National Curriculum and Assessment Center under the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia took part in the UN International Conference the Global Platform for Disaster Reduction held in Geneva.

NCAC director held a presentation about an Innovative Practice on Disaster Risk Reduction and Education in Gerorgia.

Natia Jokhadze talked about the visit in Geneva:

- The mentioned conference is an international one. In Georgian delegation, I was representing NCAC under the Ministry of Education and Science. My presentation was aimed to inform international society about the Georgian model of Head of Class Hour on DRR. Georgian model took a great interest in conference delegates.

- Mrs. Jokhadze, in your opinion, what is the reason of this interest?

- We are concerned about the knowledge and awareness amongst teachers, children and their families. Introducing Disaster Risk Reduction as a key component of the mandatory Head of Class Hour program is a very important step in many ways. We consider this program – a mandatory part of formal education – as a mainstream channel to convey this important information. Given the high level of interest shown by both teachers and students, we are optimistic that we will be able to support them to learn DRR knowledge and skills.

Developing DRR skills in children and young people is one of the most urgent problems in modern society. School is able to play a very important role in DRR as schools often represent the important centers of social life.

Within the framework of the “Supporting Disaster Risk Reduction amongst Vulnerable Communities and Institutions in Southern Caucasus” project funded by the European Commission Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO) and jointly with the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia, National Curriculum and Assessment Centre (NCAC), Emergency Management Department (EMD) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, National Center for Teacher Professional Development and UNICEF was developed DRR methodological guide for Heads of Classes Innovative Practice on Disaster Risk Reduction.

-  What are topics to be taught in Head of Class Hour?

- Head of Class Hour involves talks with students about Disaster Risk Reduction and its life-skills: preparing for disaster, its prevention, rules of conduct during disaster and after. Head of Class Hour also contains several and diverse elements of interactivity encouraging head teachers to engage students on DRR matters through mini-lectures, discussions and debates, group brainstorming exercises, games, interactive presentations and discussions as well as a variety of practical exercises (experiments, simulations, competitions, etc.).

- And, at the end I should mention that according to the new National Curriculum 2011-2016 Environmental and Disaster Risk Reduction topics will be taught on the three (primary, basic and secondary) stages of school. These topics are integrated in natural sciences and social sciences.

According to Natia Jokhadze, DRR will be taught starting from September 2011 on V-IX grades, in all Public Schools of Georgia, as a mandatory part of Head of Class Hour. 

Representatives of any countries took part in the international conference held in Geneva whose activities are in connection with environmental subject matters. Among them were Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr Ban Ki-moon; Senior Vice Minister for Disaster Management, Cabinet Office, Government of Japan, Mr Shozo Azuma; President of the The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, H.E. Dr Gjorge Ivanov; Managing Director, The World Bank, Ms Sri Mulyani Indrawati.