Education Minister Dr. Aishath Ali says it is important to ensure that school environments are safe from natural disasters.
She made these comments in relation to the World Tsunami Awareness Day celebrated today.
Dr. Aishath said that schools should be the first awareness centers for natural disasters such as Tsunamis and that schools should provide the most relevant and clear information on such occurrences to their students.
The Minister noted that in most islands, schools are often used as evacuation centers in case of a disaster.
She went on to say that the whole schooling community including school management, teachers, parents, and students must be well prepared to handle any natural disaster and called on the authorities to empower them in this regard.
The Island nation of the Maldives is celebrating World Tsunami Awareness Day almost 16 years after the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that took the lives of 108 Maldivians. This includes 32 children between the ages of 3 and 15 years.
