Review of disaster management training: A case study of a South African university

The goal of this article was to review a short learning programme offered to disaster management graduates and practitioners intending to enhance their knowledge and skills in disaster management. Short Learning Programmes (SLPs) are a form of professional development offered to adults working to better their knowledge or skills in a particular area of expertise. Short Learning Programmes provide theoretical and practical skills that one can learn in a full-time course over a shorter time. Disaster studies have been fairly new in South Africa since the promulgation of the Disaster Management Act, 57 of 2002. Therefore, few institutions offer disaster studies, particularly SLPs in disaster management. The authors sought to qualitatively, critically and systematically review the content and activities of an SLP offered by the University of the Free State-Disaster Management Training and Education Centre for Africa (UFS-DIMTEC). The structure, content and activities are documented in this article. Contribution The study contributes to disaster studies andragogy by reviewing a short learning programme training. The review aided in improving the current course and encouraged the development of similar training by other institutions as a disaster legislation implementation activity and growth of the academic disaster risk field.


Introduction
The past decades have entertained a series of conferences that focused on disaster risk reduction (DRR) issues with the goal of global sustainable development.At the end of each conference, some government leaders would pen their signatures on international agreements such as the 1994 Yokohama Strategy for a Safer World, the 2005 Kobe Conference, the 2005-2015 Hyogo Framework for Action, and the 2015-2030 Sendai Framework for DRR.The international DRR agreements, developments and reforms also contributed to the enactment of South Africa's Disaster Management Act, 57 of 2002 (DMA), followed by the National Disaster Management Framework of 2005 (NDMF).A plethora of DRR agreements, policies, and legislation meant a growing need for skilled human resources to implement them (Holloway 2009;Kunguma 2020).Conclusively, all DRR international agreements and South African disaster management statutes strongly encourage disaster management education, training and research (Republic of South Africa 2005).Because of this, several higher education institutions globally and in South Africa embarked on a journey to develop disaster studies curricula.However, the development and establishment of disaster training institutions have not been as substantial or booming compared with disaster occurrences.Several authors, policies and legislation have pointed out the need for DRR education.The existence of DRR education would evoke disaster risk knowledge, practice, actions and behaviours of change in communities (Apronti et al. 2015;Nakano et al. 2020;Republic of South Africa 2002, 2005; United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization [UNESCO] 2011).
Like the DRR international agreements, the DMA and NDMF reverberate the significance of education, training and research.They promote DRR education in primary, secondary and tertiary education and community capacity building.Already, South Africa has progressed in developing graduate programmes in disaster management.Some of the institutions are the

Review of disaster management training: A case study of a South African university
Read online:  Of particular focus in this study are Short Learning Programmes (SLPs), a form of professional development offered to already working adults to update or upgrade their knowledge or skills in a particular area of expertise.
For such pieces of training to make DRR and resilience contributions to communities, they must be based on an underlying theoretical basis.Therefore, participation in a community of practice approach is of interest and applicable to the issue under investigation.This approach has been identified by Nakano et al. (2020) as grounded in the theory of legitimate peripheral participation (LPP) postulated by Lave and Wenger (1991).In this LPP approach, the significant aspect of learning is the interrelationships of roles between the mentor and the learners.The approach is a learning contextual social process achieved through participation in a community.The participants join a community in the periphery and learn through observation.In the end, the participants become experienced members of the community practices.The DRR is envisaged to stimulate proactive attitudes in learners through active participation, where learning is perceived as a transformation of identity through the involvement of the learners in practices developed by the instructor (Nakano et al. 2020).Participation in a community of practice andragogy has been implemented in the DRR SLPs offered by various institutions, enabling both the instructors and learners to develop their personalities and comprehension through active participation and engagements with others as they interact and create relationships.Nakano et al. (2020), Willms (2003), and Osterman (2000) suggest that the legitimate participation in the communities instils a sense of belonging in the learners' minds as they actively engage, imagining themselves, their roles, and the future they envisage in the communities.Therefore, the participants' skills are sharpened with practical experience in communities where DRR activities will be implemented; thus, knowledge will be aligned with practice.Furthermore, the community of practice involves volunteers who participate and engage in shared concerns such as practical experiences, developing and discussing new areas of interest, and building a sense of community (Floding & Swier 2012).

Methodology and description of the course
The study applied a literature review methodology of journal articles to conceptualise the article better.The authors informally observed (course observation) (Qaddo 2019) the course over 2 weeks to loosely document the course's contents, structure, and activities thematically (Boudah 2011).Volunteers from the course participants were asked to share their perceptions of the course.One facilitator and two participants agreed to share their perceptions.The study aimed to appraise the SLP's content, andragogy and activities as a potential good practice.It did not focus on the findings of the participants in the fieldwork.

About the Short Learning Programme
The course offered by UFS-DiMTEC and UNU-EHS is a strategic collaboration that offers participants a local and international perspective on DRR.

Results and discussion
The results are based on the course observation and engagement with volunteer facilitators and participants.In addition, the use of COVID-19 as a case study was imperative because the use of real and current trends.In addition, the use of COVID-19 as a case study was imperative because the use of real and current trends provides a concrete application to knowledge and skills in learning and the learners can also relate (InteGrate 2023).

Content and activities of the course
The content of the course included the following topics but was not limited to: • Disaster management terminology.
• Frameworks in disaster management.
• Disaster risk assessment.During the observation of participants engaging in discussions, the participants argued that the government did not engage with societies meaningfully and hold sustainable dialogues with multiple stakeholders.The participants, therefore, decided to explore the space of engaging the societies.
The authors asked for volunteers from the 17 participants to provide their perceptions of the course.Two participants and one facilitator agreed to share their perceptions with the following verbatim comments: 'The multi-disciplinary nature of the course in terms of the content covered provided the participants with diverse theoretical and practical information to contribute to the betterment of their areas of study, work disciplines and living environments.Also, the interactive nature and participatory approaches are some of the uniqueness of this course that indulges students and prepares them to further their studies and enhance their research skills.The local disaster centre's educational tour gave them first-hand information on disastermanaged operations.The fieldwork consisting of the Rapid Risk Analysis in a selected informal settlement gave the students the practical aspects entailed in the empirical research process for applications in their studies.In addition, with the different cultural background of the participants in the community they were involved, adjustments, cooperation and teamwork was built as well as understanding and developing human relations skills; at the same time, understanding and appreciating different cultural backgrounds of communities was fostered.I believe the participants returned to their portfolios better equipped with theoretical and practical disaster managing skills,' explained one of the Facilitators.Concerning the field visit, one of the participants said: 'Khayelitsha is a great community.I saw the potential for a stable and secure community, but the people will need government support.They are industrious and have learnt to be resilient and cope with hazards independently.They are receptive and open people who are ready for help.I hope the government will consider this community and do something tangible for them.
No single sector will be able to respond alone to the depth and breadth of humanitarian crises.Progress will need strong support from state and civil society at large.' (Participant 3, Learner, 07/03/2022)

Application of participation in a community of practice approach
To engender continuous DRR education in SLPs, participation in a community of practice approach, a proactive attitude paradigm needs to be explored because proactive attitudes in participants are elicited.Participant 2's comment shows that through community engagement, they could identify the community's needs and recommend possible solutions.
Proactiveness includes anticipating problems and needs and investing in plans that prevent or mitigate disasters' impact (Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy 2012).Through the SLP, the participants gained theoretical knowledge about DRR.This was assessed through the report they presented to the local municipality and the facilitators, including the study area's empirical findings.Subsequently, the participants engaged with the local disaster management centre and community members about the risks they are exposed to and their expectations from the government.The fieldwork engagement was informed by the theoretical knowledge gained from the classroom.By engaging with disaster officials and communities at risk, the participants can gain knowledge of their experiences in DRR.
The SLP content and activities support proactive attitudes, as illustrated in participating in a community of practice approach.

Conclusion
The course allowed the participants to provide the community of Khayelitsha with a voice and connect them with the policymakers.The participants presented their field visit results and shared them with the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality Disaster Management Centre.This approach was with the intention that the information would better equip the policymakers with custom-made decisions to assist the community with risk reduction measures better.The practical exercise was more of a pilot study from which the MMM officials could take over and conduct a full study.The findings highlight the significance of investing in knowledge sharing to promote effective and acceptable public-informed policies.When such policies are implemented, they yield sustainable resilience to future COVID-19 breakouts or new pandemic-related disasters.There is a need for the government to broaden the science base and community participation when making policies.
Although not evaluated, based on the course activities, the article demonstrates that this andragogical approach, which is theoretical and practical, is beneficial to participants, policymakers, and at-risk communities.The philosophy of incorporating community involvement in the SLP influences student learning, bridging the gap between theory and http://www.jamba.org.zaOpen Access practice, thereby giving higher education institutions the desired outcome.The course coordinators strive to achieve the principles of good practice to provide the best learning experience to the participants through field-based experiences in communities that are different from their usual ones.By adopting the theory of practice approach in disaster management training, the role players in DRR, namely the researchers, communities, universities and policymakers, will develop their knowledge and practical experience.This exposure of participants to real-life situations empowers them with the competence and skills to identify their strengths and weaknesses.It also allows them to work on their weaknesses and enrich their strengths in their specialised field.Such experiences serve as the basis for the course coordinators and the university to assess the quality of training offered to learners.
Disaster Management Training and Education Centre for Africa at the University of the Free State, the Disaster Mitigation for Sustainable Livelihoods Programme at the University of Cape Town, The Research Alliance for Disaster Risk Reduction (RADAR) at Stellenbosch University and the African Centre for Disaster Studies at the North-West University.The importance of DRR education is observed in the NDMF, identifying it as a supporting enabler, 'Enabler 2 -Education, The goal of this article was to review a short learning programme offered to disaster management graduates and practitioners intending to enhance their knowledge and skills in disaster management.Short Learning Programmes (SLPs) are a form of professional development offered to adults working to better their knowledge or skills in a particular area of expertise.Short Learning Programmes provide theoretical and practical skills that one can learn in a full-time course over a shorter time.Disaster studies have been fairly new in South Africa since the promulgation of the Disaster Management Act, 57 of 2002.Therefore, few institutions offer disaster studies, particularly SLPs in disaster management.The authors sought to qualitatively, critically and systematically review the content and activities of an SLP offered by the University of the Free State-Disaster Management Training and Education Centre for Africa (UFS-DIMTEC).The structure, content and activities are documented in this article.Contribution: The study contributes to disaster studies andragogy by reviewing a short learning programme training.The review aided in improving the current course and encouraged the development of similar training by other institutions as a disaster legislation implementation activity and growth of the academic disaster risk field.Keywords: disaster studies; Short Learning Programmes; skills development; knowledge transfer; disaster legislation; community of practice.
With all of the aforementioned, this study reviews the SLP offered by the University of the Free State -Disaster Management Training and Education Centre for Africa (UFS-DiMTEC) in collaboration with the United Nations University -Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS).The course is titled 'Block Course-From Vulnerability to Resilience'.Every year there is a new theme to fit the disaster trend.Table 1 illustrates several themes focused on in the past years.
(Gill et al. 2019)ourse is held annually with a strong focus on building resilience, sustainable development, and the reduction of vulnerabilities.The SLP enrols different learners or participants from various work or academic disciplines and sectors.Through engagement in natural community settings (through the field exercise), the participants allow for knowledge sharing and skills development, thus promoting innovative ideas in a real-life situation in a practical manner.The community of practice approach in DRR training fosters long-term evaluation of knowledge(Gill et al. 2019).Firstly, this article aims to appraise and critically review the SLP to determine if its contents and activities contribute to DRR resilience building in communities.Secondly, to provide practical recommendations that aid in the betterment and development of disaster management SLPs.

TABLE 1 :
Themes of some block courses.
The course was held at the University of the Free State, Bloemfontein Campus, in Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality (MMM), Bloemfontein City, Free State Province of South Africa.It was over 2 weeks and included theory (knowledge transmission approach) and a practical exercise.The course coordinators approached the local disaster management centre (MMM Disaster Management Centre) to assist with the practical exercise.The MMM Disaster Management Centre agreed to be part of the SLP.Their role entailed identifying a vulnerable community and making appointments with the community leaders to inform them of the SLPs participants' visit to the community.The course coordinator's role also included escorting the SLP participants to the community and attending the participants' practical exercise presentations after the field visit.