Concepts and Approaches of School Centered Disaster Resilient Communities

Abstract

Mega disasters, such as the East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami (EJET), have devastating effects on schools and communities. Not only do they interrupt educational activities, but also weakens community ties due to displacement of affected people that exacerbates the chronic low birth-aging problem faced by many rural communities in Japan. This paper intends to rationalize the concept of School Centered Community Building that is proposed by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of Japan as a possibility to restore the community ties weakened by EJET though schools, by first looking into new ways to utilize the schools by making them multi-functional facility aimed to strengthen school-community linkage. It will then examine the approaches of community participation in school management and educational activities to realize school-centered community building. Finally, the paper will analyze the benefits and challenges of this concept to come up with possible ways to advance the school recovery process.