EkoIQ - March 2, 2023 - https://www.ekoiq.com/egitimdeki-belirsizlik-kaygilari-artiriyor/
According to the report prepared by KODA, titled “February 6 Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes: What is the Situation in the Villages?”, the damage to schools, the use of undamaged ones as common living spaces, and uncertainty about the education calendar are among the issues that cause the most concern, especially among teachers and parents of earthquake victims.
KODA (Village Schools Exchange Network) prepared a report based on the findings of interviews conducted with 6 community members during the first three days of the disaster, which affected 11 provinces on February 665. “February 6 Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes: What is the situation in the villages?The report, titled "What Happened to Us?", was prepared to contribute to understanding the process through the eyes of teachers, prospective teachers, and families living or working in rural areas in the earthquake zone. Prepared to capture the rural community's perspective on the earthquake, whose impact will span many years, the report includes notes on future measures while analyzing the current situation.
Needs in Villages
From earthquakes affected in villages, food and water are generally needs While this may seem sufficient in the short term, relatively industrial products like hygiene products or tents have been a top priority since the early days of the disaster. Families participating in KODA training, particularly in villages where the Family Studies Program is working, frequently express the need for psychological support for their children: “My son is eight years old, and he's been deeply affected. I don't know how to do it, how to talk to him. Will you support him? Do you know when schools will open?”
Damage to schools, the use of undamaged schools as shared living spaces, and uncertainty surrounding the school calendar are among the most concerning issues, particularly among earthquake victims and their parents. The resulting population density in villages due to migration and the housing difficulties faced by village teachers who live in district centers rather than in housing are also common concerns for teachers and families.
It is not possible to stay in houses
Visits to villages in the Samandağ and Defne districts of Hatay indicate that, in the event of such a disaster, villages are more resilient in some ways than city centers, while more vulnerable in others. Buildings in these villages, generally situated on the slopes of mountains or hills, suffered less damage. However, due to the ongoing tremors, staying indoors is impossible. Only quick entries and exits are made to obtain clothing and supplies. While clothing is not an urgent need, clothing is still needed to withstand the cold at night due to the possibility of remaining in tents for a relatively long time. Many villagers have created tents from tarpaulins used to protect their crops in agricultural activities. Some villagers are staying in greenhouses. However, these "tents" cannot be considered a long-term solution.
Villages are also more resilient in terms of food. Households with children in Samandağ and Defne villages say they don't need milk because they have cows. Similarly, those with flour and wood can bake their own bread on their own stoves. Clean water isn't a problem either. It's positive that villages experienced a relatively more resilient first few days of the disaster, but the long-term sustainability of this situation is questionable.
Psychological Support is Needed
The first headline that stands out from focus interviews with community members KODA works closely with the need for psychological support Establishing a healthy sleep and eating routine for children, organizing meetings that foster a sense of community togetherness, and creating activities and content specifically for children are particularly critical. Another key point that emerged from the interviews was the necessity of research and analysis for rural areas Issues such as the physical condition of rural schools, changes in village populations, the impact of these changes on student-parent-teacher relationships, the potential for discrimination due to internal migration, the status of teacher transfers, and the potential for teacher candidates to remain isolated from practice need to be examined on a regional and national scale. The report also Involvement of non-governmental organizations in the design of container cities is emphasized as necessary.
Another important point is that, due to the forced internal migration following the earthquakes, medium- and long-term development and reconstruction plans for earthquake victims should not be limited to the earthquake zone. Furthermore, specific opportunities and challenges for rural areas, particularly in education, must be considered. Rural areas offer opportunities such as collective production, intimacy with nature, and self-sufficiency. Alongside these opportunities, existing infrastructure problems, the potential for population density due to post-earthquake reverse migration, the unpredictability of teacher and student requests for school transfers, and the use of remaining village schools as housing are all dynamics that must be considered in regional development plans.
