The Education Sector

Although the education sector sustained considerable damage in the Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE), it also played a key role in protecting lives. Importantly, it provided both civil protection hardware and software: school buildings served as evacuation shelters and transition shelters, and the school curricula ensured that children knew how to prepare for and react in emergencies. The performance of schools in responding to the GEJE provided a number of important lessons about the role of the education sector in disaster risk management. This report gives findings; lessons; and recommendations for developing countries.