Resilience in Formal School Education in Vanuatu: A Mismatch with National, Regional and International Policies

Abstract

Analysis of school curricula in Vanuatu, the world’s most disaster-prone nation, shows that in-depth learning about disasters, and climate change does not occur until the end of secondary education, when only 13% of primary level 1 children are still in school. Furthermore, such education in resilience is confined to optional subjects. We demonstrate that this situation does not match the objectives of Vanuatu’s policies on resilience and sustainable development, the Framework for Resilient Development in the Pacific, nor key international policies, and argue for the inclusion of suitable learning materials at earlier curricular levels.