Page 18 - IB February 2025

Education Education

Survival School primary teacher Cassandra attempts to continue lessons with students who were traumatized earlier that day by a 5.9 earthquake
that shook the school, causing the children to run from their classroom. This occurred while UNICEF staff and Red Cross volunteers were setting
up temporary classrooms at Survival School due to the damage caused by the December 17th earthquake at Fresh Water Five, Efate, SHEFA,
Vanuatu. Photos: UNICEF/Mobbs

PROVIDING STABILITY AND SCHOOL

By Prerna Priyanka This is crucial, given the Vanuatu Government has warned
that it could take up to three to four years to completely
When a 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck Vanuatu in rebuild the classrooms that have been destroyed.
December 2024, it left a trail of destruction, damaging In addition to education, the mental health of the children
schools, disrupting learning, and adding another layer of has also been a major concern, says Save The Children
trauma to children already vulnerable to the impacts of Vanuatu.
climate disasters. “In the aftermath of any disaster, it is critical for children
As Vanuatu’s recovery continues, UNICEF Pacific and recovering that they are able to return to their normal
education officials are working to restore a sense of normalcy routines as soon as possible, and for most kids, this would
for children, ensuring they have a safe space to learn and include returning to school, where they can reconnect with
recover from the psychological toll of the disaster. friends and share their experiences,” said Polly Banks, Save
“The biggest challenge was making sure children could go the Children Vanuatu Country Director.
back to school,” said Eric Durpaire, Chief of UNICEF’s Vanuatu The emphasis on education and mental health recovery
Field Office. “Not just for their education, but also to help aligns with a broader regional response to natural disasters,
them regain a sense of normalcy and recover from the trauma with past events in the Pacific neighbours, Fiji and Tonga,
of the earthquake.” highlighting the long-term effects on children in the Pacific.
The earthquake, which struck during the holiday break for
many students, caused significant damage to schools. The Acting quickly, and sustaining support
Vanuatu Government reports over 107 classrooms in at least In the aftermath of the earthquake, UNICEF Pacific quickly
45 schools have been either partially or completely damaged coordinated with the Ministry of Education to deploy tents
or destroyed. to schools where classrooms had been destroyed or were
As a result, many children were left without a place to deemed unsafe.
continue their education. “We had about 50 tents in stock, ready to accommodate
“We needed to act quickly. We partnered with the Ministry 4000 children. By the end of January, we had set up almost 30
of Education to set up temporary learning spaces, which were tents,” Durpaire said.
critical in ensuring that the children’s education didn’t have However, the task was not without its challenges.
to wait for repairs or rebuilding,” Durpaire explained. Just as the tents were being erected, a potential tropical

18 Islands Business, February 2025