UNICEF in Kazakhstan unites efforts to ensure school safety
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Kazakhstan has united efforts of partners in ensuring school safety. As part of the programme “Support for institutions and vulnerable communities in disaster risk reduction in the Republic of Kazakhstan” a total of 38 pilot schools in Kyzylorda, Mangistau and East Kazakhstan Regions as well as in Almaty and Astana were assessed. Specialists checked the technical condition of foundations, walls, cross beams and other elements. The results of the assessment were presented at a round-table meeting involving the representatives of central and local authorities, education sector, construction and emergency bodies of Astana, Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kyzylorda and Aktau as well as international and local experts of UNICEF on structural safety of buildings and facilities.
An international UNICEF expert from Armenia Zaven Khlgatyan carried out the assessment of Kazakh pilot schools jointly with local specialists. Armenia’s experience is successful because it is based on the lessons of the past as well as modern practices of the seismic strengthening of buildings. The participants also discussed the disaster risk reduction (DRR) programmes in the regions and towns, the need to improve policy and enhance potential on DRR in order to integrate DRR in legislation, standards, norms and rules in the sector of education, construction, emergencies and other sectors in Kazakhstan. As a result of the round-table meeting, the participants made recommendations to create a unified format and a database on structural safety of schools in Kazakhstan, develop criteria for assessment of structural safety of schools (vulnerability) depending on regions’ susceptibility to disaster, develop additional methodological literature, instructions and other legal and technical documents in the area of construction. Also, it was recommended to assess all schools for structural safety in Kyzylorda Region.
The International UN Strategy for Disaster Reduction has defined school safety as a key development priority. The “Support for institutions and vulnerable communities in disaster risk reduction in the Republic of Kazakhstan” programme has been implemented since 2009 by the Interior Minsitry’s Emergencies Committee, the Education and Science Ministry and UNICEF and is co-funded by the European Commission Department Humanitarian Aid’s Department for Disaster Preparedness Programme (DIPECHO). In 2015 Kazakhstan adopted an interagency plan of action to ensure school safety for 2015-2016, which includes a task to improve the school safety assessment system.
Press Release