Tidal Flood-Resilient Schools: UNJ Lecturers and Geography Teachers Initiative Boosts Public Awareness
Tidal flooding remains one of the recurring natural disasters threatening Jakarta’s coastal areas. Its impacts not only disrupt community activities but also risk affecting educational activities in schools located in disaster-prone zones.
In response, a group of Geography lecturers from Universitas Negeri Jakarta (UNJ) and the Geography Teachers’ Association (MGMP) held disaster education activities last week at SMA Saint Peter in Jakarta. The initiative aims to enhance teachers’ preparedness for tidal flooding by strengthening disaster mitigation understanding within school environments.
School and MGMP Responses
The event began with a welcome speech by Dr. Dewi Lukita, M.Pd., School Director, who endorsed the educational initiative.
This was followed by a speech from MGMP Geografi, represented by Eko Purwodiono, S.Pd. He stressed the importance for educators: ‘Geography teachers must actively participate in MGMP activities. Through this initiative, teachers are expected to apply disaster-related knowledge directly in their classrooms,’ said Eko.
Eko also read a written message from MGMP Geografi Chairperson Deni Mawardi, S.Pd., who was on official duty. Deni emphasised that Geography teachers should have the courage to start writing and conducting research related to disaster management.
The event continued with a panel session led by Nadya Fidina Salam, S.Pd.
Prof. Dr. Cahyadi Setiawan, S.Si., M.Si., Head of UNJ’s Community Service (PKM) Team, delivered an interactive presentation on Jakarta’s coastal areas vulnerable to tidal flooding. His talk covered tidal flooding characteristics, causes, impacts, and mitigation steps applicable in school environments.
Prof. Cahyadi stated that tidal flooding in Jakarta is influenced by several key factors, with these conditions causing increased flooding in coastal areas, particularly during high tides. Participants were also educated on the importance of preparedness before, during, and after disasters to minimise risks in educational settings.
‘Teacher preparedness for disasters must be continuously enhanced to enable schools to address tidal flood risks through both structural and non-structural mitigation measures,’ Cahyadi said in a written statement today.
The session was further strengthened by team members Hikari Dwi Saputro, S.Pd., M.Pd., and Della Ayu Lestari, who presented on school disaster simulations and integrating spatial data into geography lessons to create disaster-resilient schools.
Alongside the presentations, the event included discussion and Q&A sessions, with participants enthusiastically engaging in talks on concrete disaster mitigation strategies within educational settings.
School representative Fifiastutie Soebiyanto, S.Pd., Principal of SMA Saint Peter, expressed deep appreciation for the event.
‘Through this initiative, we hope teachers gain a better understanding of preparedness for tidal flooding in school environments,’ she said.
Positive feedback also came from participant Achmad Adam, S.Pd., M.Pd.
‘This initiative is expected to improve school and Geography teachers’ readiness for tidal flooding. Additionally, Geography teachers can adopt more varied teaching methods when delivering disaster-related content in class,’ he added.
‘Our problem lies in mitigation. What’s happening now is that mitigation processes are not functioning well,’
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