Kediri Education Agency Trains Teachers in Disaster Preparedness

Kediri (ANTARA) - The Education Agency of Kediri City, East Java, is providing training to teachers through the Disaster Safe Education Unit (SPAB) programme to enhance preparedness for potential disasters within the school environment. Head of the Kediri City Education Agency, Mandung Sulaksono, stated that the training is a follow-up to the increasing incidence of disasters in various regions and is part of a central government programme. “Through this programme, schools are expected to understand disaster management and response in accordance with the risk potential in their respective areas,” he said in Kediri on Wednesday. He expressed hope that participating schools could become pilot models for SPAB implementation in Kediri City. Previously, the Education Agency and the Kediri City Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) had provided assistance for SPAB implementation at SMPN 6 Kediri. According to him, strengthening preparedness in schools is expected to equip students with knowledge of the steps to take during a disaster, while also fostering a sense of care for environmental sustainability as part of efforts to reduce disaster risk. The activity featured a speaker from the East Java Provincial Centre for Education Quality Assurance (BBPMP), Dahlia Kusumawati. Dahlia explained that the SPAB training equips participants with materials on mitigation, emergency management, disaster response practices, and the formulation of follow-up plans at each educational unit. According to her, a disaster-safe school must have clear procedures for facing emergencies, including forming a disaster preparedness team, establishing evacuation routes and assembly points, and routinely conducting disaster simulations. Meanwhile, one of the participants, a teacher from SMAN 8 Kediri named Edo Rahmat, admitted that the training provided new insights into mapping potential disaster threats and mitigation measures that can be applied within the school environment. He said the results of the training would be conveyed to the school as material for gradually developing a disaster preparedness programme, including identifying the need for supporting facilities and infrastructure.