Disaster education for landslide risk reduction: an experience in a public school in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil

Public policies for reducing the disaster risk associated with landslides in Brazil, based almost solely on the implementation of engineering works to stabilise hillsides, have proved ineffective, with this type of disaster becoming more common and more severe. There is therefore an urgent need to form a culture that encourages the public to participate directly in disaster management and develops community capacity, which requires a broad disaster education programme on formal, non-formal and informal levels. Given the recent approach to the topic, this study aims to contribute to the development of a disaster education methodology for landslides, based on an experience that was coordinated by the authors within formal education. The experience was implemented in a state school in the city of Niteri (Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil) which is recurrently affected by disasters associated with landslides. The issue of disasters associated with landslides was addressed in a one-semester course, using the theory of meaningful learning and a range of pedagogical tools in both theory and practical classes, for a total period of 16 h. The educational activities were preceded by a landslide risk perception survey and teacher training. The study concluded that the course promoted interactive and participatory learning, a connection to the real problem in the field and an affective relationship with the issue.