ABSTRACT

School emergency preparedness must be enhanced to save the lives of children and reduce adverse impacts on the school education system. The gender dimension of school-going children can help understand and assess the dynamics of vulnerabilities in school settings. This paper quantifies gender-based knowledge about emergency preparedness for a crisis. Gilgit city, a multi-hazard prone area in Northern Pakistan, was taken as a case study area. Slovin’s sampling method was employed to estimate the minimum required sample size. The data was collected using structured questionnaires, and a total of 486 samples were collected, with 238 girls and 248 boys. Emergency preparedness and awareness indicators, chosen through literature, were classified under four components, i.e. emergency circulation and evacuation, support and assistance, communication, and search and rescue. A five-point Likert scale was used to map the indicators, and an index-based approach was used to quantify emergency preparedness. Statistical tests were used to examine gender-based differences among emergency preparedness and its components. Results show that both genders exhibited low awareness, whereas a significant difference in communication, and search and rescue component. There is an immediate need to launch awareness campaigns and training in schools for effective disaster risk reduction.

摘要

必须加强学校应急准备，以挽救儿童的生命并减少对学校教育系统的不利影响。学龄儿童的性别维度有助于理解和评估学校环境中脆弱性的动态。本文量化了有关危机应急准备的基于性别的知识。吉尔吉特市是巴基斯坦北部多灾多发的地区，被作为案例研究区。Slovin 的抽样方法被用来估计所需的最小样本量。采用结构化问卷收集数据，共收集样本486份，其中女生238人，男生248人。通过文献选择的应急准备和意识指标分为四个组成部分，即应急流通和疏散、支持和援助、通信、和搜救。使用李克特五点量表来绘制指标，并使用基于指数的方法来量化应急准备。统计测试用于检查应急准备及其组成部分之间基于性别的差异。结果表明，两性都表现出低意识，而在沟通和搜救方面存在显着差异。迫切需要在学校开展提高认识运动和培训，以有效减少灾害风险。而在通信和搜救部分有显着差异。迫切需要在学校开展提高认识运动和培训，以有效减少灾害风险。而在通信和搜救部分有显着差异。迫切需要在学校开展提高认识运动和培训，以有效减少灾害风险。