The Ministry of Education, in partnership with UNICEF and Save the Children Fund is conducting a Train the Trainers workshop in Education in Emergency (EIE) this week at the Holiday Inn, starting from Tuesday, July 6th to Friday July 10th.
Minister for Education Filipe Bole said that the workshop is to equip trainers who will in turn train teachers how to respond to natural disasters and complex emergencies.
Natural disasters are commonly understood to refer to cyclones, earthquakes, which can occur without warning, whereas complex emergencies are man-made situations often caused by conflicts or civil unrest.
In both crises, children are the most vulnerable for a variety of reasons – they may have been displaced, witnessed purposeful violence, lost family members or fallen victim to an unexpected traumatic experience.
Many unfortunately witnessed violence or destruction and often face continued threats to their security or fear of repeated disaster.
The outcome of the workshop will hopefully lead to the drafting of a national plan on Education in Emergency.
The workshop will draw participants from Samoa, Tuvalu, NGOs in Fiji, NDMO and District Education Officers.
The workshop will be opened by the Permanent Secretary for Provincial Development Mr Manasa Vaniqi.