Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Education from Social Disciplinary Theoretical Perspectives

Disaster is a social phenomenon. The occurrence and impacts of disasters including the education sector can be studied through a social problem lens. This paper draws meaning and understanding of DRR education using the sociological disciplinary framework in a detailed qualitative case study of three schools as they responded to the devastating Gorakha earthquake in 2015 and other disasters in Nepal. This paper considers the three sub-disciplines of sociology: the sociology of disaster, the sociology of education and the sociology of education governance in a development context. These sub-disciplines are nested together to analyse social, political and historical factors and their relationships which are helpful to identify risks and vulnerabilities in the education sector in Nepal. These are the major areas to explore the disaster context and needs of context-specific education acts (hereafter DRR education) to minimise the potential risks of disasters. The article concludes that the social disciplinary framework is significantly useful to analyse DRR education provisions and implications of education governance to mobilise school in disaster preparedness, response and recovery.

Participation in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Education: Analysing the Practices, Issues and Challenges

This article draws from detailed qualitative case studies of three schools as they responded to the devastating Gorakha earthquake in 2015 and other disasters in Nepal. Using Arnstein’s [1] ladder of participation, it explores nature and importance of participation to address the local disaster context. Along with Robertson et al.’s [2] pluri-scalar education governance framework, it also discusses the current forms of participation from various stakeholders specifically within the education system. The article analyses the reasons for stakeholders’ participation in DRR initiatives. It also explains the purpose of the participation, challenges of participation in DRR education, and highlights some key messages around what the study’s data says about participation in DRR education. The article concludes with the idea that curriculum participation is a crucial element to mobilise schools for their disaster preparedness, response and recovery journeys.

The Advantage of Going For Vocational Education

With the entering of the 21st century,information technology has become the world's economic and social development trend,China is beginning to see vocational education as important to maintaining fast economic growth and social stability.Every one wants to have a lucrative career and bright future.That is the reason why most people these days take up vocational education.Vocational education is a type of educational attainment that teaches the student trade skills and aptitudes.Vocational school is a school that provides vocational education to individuals who desire to be trained in job-specific skills.

The Governance of Higher Education According to the Marxist View of Fairness

According to Marxism,fairness or equity is concrete,evolving,and practice-based,and has as its ultimate aim the realization of the full and free development of man.Xi Jinping Thought on Fairness and Justice underscores governing the country according to law,improving work styles,innovating the social governance model,and making social welfare and people＇s full and free development the point of departure and ultimate goal,in a fresh development of the Marxist approach to equity in the contemporary era.Guided by this approach,Chinese higher education institutions should break free of the traditional regimen,shifting the governance structure from bureaucratic management to shared governance and from the traditional rule of man to the rule of law.Through institutional measures and observance of the basic laws of higher education development,we can build a new type of collaborative relationship among governments,institutions of higher learning,academics and students,and society as a whole.In this way,all participants will find their proper place and realize their full potential,thus activating and enhancing the innovative capacity of higher education.Only thus will higher education institutions be able to modernize their governance systems and capacity.

School Choice in China:Past,Present,and Future

Purpose:Focusing on the hot-debating issue of school choice in China,this article aims to present a narrative of the policy interventions,especially promulgated by the Chinese central government during the past 20 years,and to discuss those challenges facing the governments and the society as a whole in the new era.Design/Approach/Methods:This article conceptually approaches the topic based on policy texts analysis and literature review.Findings:This article pictures the historical dynamics of school choice phenomenon and its interaction with the corresponding policy initiatives promoted by the central government.It argues that school choice governing in China basically experienced three stages since the middle of 1990s,namely controlling“choice fees,”promoting equalization and equity as well as comprehensive governance toward greater quality and equity.The effective implementation of these policy measures is gradually cooling down the“choice fever”in urban areas and restoring order for student enrollment in compulsory education,but great challenges are still lying ahead since the problem of school choice turns to be“wicked”in nature and cannot be simply solved within the education sector.Originality/Value:This article contributes to the global discourse of school choice research with much updated information of policy initiatives and the newly emerged situations since 2014,calling for close attention and deeper research from researchers both from China and from abroad.