2:30 PM - 2:45 PM
[G02-04] Current legislative education within disaster management education
Keywords:disaster management education, legislative education
In Japan, where disasters frequently occur, survival from the disaster is considered a minimal condition of success. There is the much more important standpoint of how to live following the disaster. The legislative system related to disasters shall be discussed in order to further develop this point.
What kind of study exists on disaster management in the school setting. Is there study on systems of disaster legislation, and moreover, is there study that permits consideration on the disaster recovery stage? Having experienced the Great East Japan Earthquake, have many more opportunities for this type of study been presented?
In this paper we examine this topic with elementary school textbooks. Education of legislative knowledge is done especially in the subject of public affairs. The study of public affairs in elementary school can be found in the second half of 6th grade social studies content. There are five publishing companies of elementary school social studies textbooks, but here we present the revised 2013 version of the Tokyo Shoseki, one with an especially high rate of adoption by school districts.
Chapter 2 of the second half of the 6th grade text is a segment for learning about the government, entitled “Our Lives and Government.” In there, firstly the issue of “When disaster occurs, who and how helps people, and who repairs collapsed buildings and roads and how do they do it.” is raised. The first section has a piece entitled, “the Governments Making the Earthquake Disaster Recovery Real.” It has pages for learning how the government functioned in response to the Great East Japan Earthquake, as well as what kinds of relief efforts were being carried out. There were actually 12 pages in total, an amount that accounts for 10% of the entire textbook. The first problem presented is eye-catching. “What hopes did the disaster victims have? What should be done to make those real?” There is also the study problem of “In what way were the hopes of those who experienced the disaster realized through government action?” This is clearly a content with awareness on the recovery and reconstruction process following a disaster. The text describes that when the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred, the “Disaster Relief Act” was applied as part of emergency management procedures. It further describes how disaster relief dispatch requests were filed for the Japan Self Defense Forces, and how other efforts such as supply assistance were put forward. With regards to the “Disaster Relief Act”, it is literally explained as “legislation for the country to maintain public order and the safety of disaster victims, and for conducting needed temporary assistance.” In addition, there are also descriptions on the “establishment of the Basic Act on Reconstruction in Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake”, and on how budget adjustments were repeatedly made to provide support to the disaster victims. Necessary laws for conducting relief efforts in disaster areas are introduced.
While extremely simple, the aforementioned is an examination of learning content in elementary school pertaining to disaster management laws and systems. Within this content, the Great East Japan Earthquake was addressed, a disaster having a large social impact, with descriptions on specifically how the government functioned and what legislative systems there were for providing aid to victims. In other words, education on disaster management laws and systems is already being carried out in Japan, albeit superficially, at the elementary school level. It was discovered that this content is even covering to what extent the government is actual functioning. In the future, further discussion is needed on what types of development would be best based on the current study of disaster management laws and systems.
[References]
YAMASAKI, E (2013), Natural Disaster and Support for Victims(September 2013). Tokyo: Nippon Hyouron Sha Co.,Ltd.
What kind of study exists on disaster management in the school setting. Is there study on systems of disaster legislation, and moreover, is there study that permits consideration on the disaster recovery stage? Having experienced the Great East Japan Earthquake, have many more opportunities for this type of study been presented?
In this paper we examine this topic with elementary school textbooks. Education of legislative knowledge is done especially in the subject of public affairs. The study of public affairs in elementary school can be found in the second half of 6th grade social studies content. There are five publishing companies of elementary school social studies textbooks, but here we present the revised 2013 version of the Tokyo Shoseki, one with an especially high rate of adoption by school districts.
Chapter 2 of the second half of the 6th grade text is a segment for learning about the government, entitled “Our Lives and Government.” In there, firstly the issue of “When disaster occurs, who and how helps people, and who repairs collapsed buildings and roads and how do they do it.” is raised. The first section has a piece entitled, “the Governments Making the Earthquake Disaster Recovery Real.” It has pages for learning how the government functioned in response to the Great East Japan Earthquake, as well as what kinds of relief efforts were being carried out. There were actually 12 pages in total, an amount that accounts for 10% of the entire textbook. The first problem presented is eye-catching. “What hopes did the disaster victims have? What should be done to make those real?” There is also the study problem of “In what way were the hopes of those who experienced the disaster realized through government action?” This is clearly a content with awareness on the recovery and reconstruction process following a disaster. The text describes that when the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred, the “Disaster Relief Act” was applied as part of emergency management procedures. It further describes how disaster relief dispatch requests were filed for the Japan Self Defense Forces, and how other efforts such as supply assistance were put forward. With regards to the “Disaster Relief Act”, it is literally explained as “legislation for the country to maintain public order and the safety of disaster victims, and for conducting needed temporary assistance.” In addition, there are also descriptions on the “establishment of the Basic Act on Reconstruction in Response to the Great East Japan Earthquake”, and on how budget adjustments were repeatedly made to provide support to the disaster victims. Necessary laws for conducting relief efforts in disaster areas are introduced.
While extremely simple, the aforementioned is an examination of learning content in elementary school pertaining to disaster management laws and systems. Within this content, the Great East Japan Earthquake was addressed, a disaster having a large social impact, with descriptions on specifically how the government functioned and what legislative systems there were for providing aid to victims. In other words, education on disaster management laws and systems is already being carried out in Japan, albeit superficially, at the elementary school level. It was discovered that this content is even covering to what extent the government is actual functioning. In the future, further discussion is needed on what types of development would be best based on the current study of disaster management laws and systems.
[References]
YAMASAKI, E (2013), Natural Disaster and Support for Victims(September 2013). Tokyo: Nippon Hyouron Sha Co.,Ltd.