Banda Aceh – Universitas Syiah Kuala (USK), through the Disaster Mitigation Technical Management Unit (UPT) / Tsunami and Disaster Mitigation Research Center (TDMRC), has successfully held the 30th Seminar Series, one of a series of activities to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami that hit Aceh in 2004.
The event, which took place hybridly through the Zoom platform, YouTube, and in the USK TDMRC Auditorium, was
held on Monday, March 18, 2024, from 09.00 to 12.00 WIB. The activity, which was attended by more than 80 offline participants and nearly 200 online participants from all over Indonesia, was moderated by Dr. Ahmad Nubli Gadeng, S.Pd., M.Pd, who is a researcher from TDMRC and also a lecturer in the Department of Geography Education FKIP USK.
The event, which was opened by USK’s Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Prof. Dr. Ir. Agussabti, M.Si, and Director of TDMRC, Prof. Dr. Syamsidik, ST, M.Sc., highlighted the challenges in disaster education after the 20-year tsunami and strategies to improve people’s understanding and preparedness for disasters through disaster education.
“Our concern from USK is to see disaster as a learning process for the younger generation, and this must be incorporated into a system that ensures the process is sustainable. Meanwhile, if this process is only included in accidental programs, it will be difficult to see the outcome or long-term impact, especially since the current USK generation is the generation born after the tsunami who were not directly exposed to the chaotic conditions 20 years ago. Now, if we are not able to package this disaster learning well to transfer it to the younger generation, it is feared that disaster amnesia will occur, or this learning will be forgotten, “said Prof. Dr. Syamsidik, S.T., M.Sc in his opening speech.
In the almost 4-hour seminar, the speakers discussed the current condition of disaster education in Aceh and how the struggle to create policies related to disaster education in Aceh through a Qanun still finds obstacles to date.
According to Fazli, S.KM., M.Kes, as the first resource person, presented the material with the title of ACEH GOVERNMENT PREPAREDNESS IN DISASTER RESPONSE. Fazli revealed that there are 6 BPBA priority programs at this time: 1) Preparation of disaster documents (KRB, DRR, RECON and PB SOP). 2) DM training (KRB, DRR, RENKON, SMAB/SPAB). 3) Disaster Management Simulation. 4) SMAB/SPAB coaching. 5) DESTANA (Disaster Resilient Village). 6) KATANA (Disaster Resilient Family). Finally, it was revealed that the challenge experienced to give birth to RAQAN (Draft Qanun) Aceh Disaster Education lies in not getting permission so that the Draft Qanun in question is not continued, as stated in letter number 188.34/4842/OTDA issued in Jakarta on July 27, 2021, from the Ministry of Home Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia. However, the seriousness of the Aceh Provincial Government in fighting for the Draft Qanun is evidenced by the issuance of ACEH GOVERNMENT NO 44 YEAR 2019 ON DRR IN PUBLIC MARKS AND PRASARANCES.
The second speaker, Dr. Dra. Sulastri, M.Si, revealed that disaster education must start from home, religion, peers, schools, and cyberspace. Knowledge, attitudes, behavior, and IT need to be prepared to deal with disasters. This is very relevant to law number 20 of 2003 concerning SISDIKNAS, namely that education units are educational service groups that organize education in formal, non-formal, and informal channels at every level and type of education.
Prof. Dr. Enok Maryani, M.S, as the third resource person, presented disaster education challenges after 20 years of tsunami. Prof. Enok said that according to data from the Ministry of Education and Culture in 2017, there were 497,576 schools in Indonesia spread across 34 provinces in disaster-prone areas ranging from TK/RA, SD / MI, SMP / MTs to SMA / MA / SMK levels. Disaster education must start from schools and universities and be delivered to communities in disaster-prone areas to create disaster care communities. As an example of non-structural disaster mitigation efforts, Disaster Preparedness School can be carried out with certain activities.
This seminar is a forum to explore various thoughts and experiences related to disaster education and a stage to inspire concrete steps in increasing disaster resilience in Aceh, especially in fighting for Disaster Education in Aceh.
“Let’s cultivate disaster experience stories to future generations. So that information related to previous disaster experiences is well conveyed to future generations. And efforts to align disaster education into formal education can be implemented and immediately get the right regulatory umbrella, “concluded Dr. Ahmad Nubli Gadeng, S.Pd., M.Pd as moderator at the event.
