Reiterating the negative impact of emergencies on education

From the report entitled Building a Culture of Resilience:  

'The impact of the natural disasters and political and economic turmoil on children and the education sector is immense.  In the Horn of Africa, the mortality rate for Somali children is one of the highest in the world and school attendance is the lowest globally. Nearly 9 million children are out of school in [Eastern and Southern Africa Region] ESAR, many of them due to emergencies such as conflict, socio‐political crises, and recurring natural disasters. These emergencies regularly disrupt schooling for millions more. In countries like Madagascar, where large‐scale disasters like cyclones occur regularly, education is disrupted sometimes for months, increasing drop‐out rates and negatively impacting on attendance rates generally. In Rwanda and Malawi, frequent flooding and disease outbreaks interrupt schooling. Malawi also experiences heavy annual seasonal wind storms which often damage school roofs, forcing classes to share learning spaces or meet outside in unbearable conditions during the rainy season. Comoros experienced a fuel crisis in August 2008 and a teachers’ strike in 2010, closing schools and postponing year‐end examinations. In addition to the natural disasters and man‐made emergencies in ESAR, the education sector in nearly all of the countries faces severe lack of resources and funding and is heavily reliant on external support. Teacher shortages, large class sizes, lack of up‐to‐date and relevant learning aids, and inadequate classrooms, to name only a few factors, combine to make progress in the education sector challenging. Despite these obstacles, there are noteworthy achievements to report from the ESAR education sector. Rwanda, one of the five countries that participated in this evaluation, has attained one of the highest primary school enrolment rates in Africa, with nearly 96 per cent of boys and 97 per cent of girls attending primary school.' 

The above passage alone highlights the strong link between Disaster Risk Reduction and educational outcomes. 

The full report includes Disaster Risk Reduction Capacity Gaps, and 16 'Lessons Learned'. Worth a look - check out the full report here.