Assessing school preparedness for disaster resilience: Integrating Gender, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) in the safe school programme

Abstract

Schools play a critical role in disaster risk reduction; however, preparedness efforts often overlook the unequal vulnerabilities associated with Gender, Disability, and Social Inclusion. This study addresses the lack of empirical evidence on how inclusively disaster preparedness is implemented within school-based disaster management structures, particularly the Safe School Disaster Unit (SSDU). Using a quantitative survey design, data were collected from senior high schools to assess levels of SSDU readiness, the integration of Gender, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) principles and the relationship between these two dimensions. This study used a quantitative design. Data were collected through questionnaires from 995 respondents across five schools and analysed using regression analysis. The findings reveal substantial variation in preparedness across schools, with public schools generally demonstrating higher levels of SSDU readiness and GEDSI integration than private schools. Statistical analysis further indicates a positive association between stronger SSDU implementation and higher levels of GEDSI integration, suggesting that schools with more established disaster management systems are better positioned to adopt inclusive practices. These results highlight persistent gaps in inclusive disaster preparedness and underscore the need to strengthen institutional systems and policies that embed GEDSI principles within school disaster risk reduction initiatives. The study contributes empirical evidence to inform more equitable and resilient safe school programming.
Contribution: Disaster risk reduction strategies in school environments have so far focused on physical and structural aspects, whereas, on the other hand, there are aspects that have not been studied, such as Gender, Disability, and Social Inclusion. Therefore, it is important to know the implementation of safe schools by focusing on aspects of Gender, Disability, and Social Inclusion in order to realise school resilience to disasters in a fair, equal and sustainable manner.