Maneesha Bandaranayake
Introduction
Emergencies—whether natural disasters, armed conflicts, pandemics, or economic crises—disrupt the normal functioning of societies. In such contexts, the education system often collapses, leaving children and communities vulnerable to a “dependency mindset.” This mindset is characterized by reliance on external aid rather than building self-reliance and sustainable solutions.
Education plays a critical role in preventing and eliminating this dependency. By continuing learning even during crises, education nurtures resilience, independence, and problem-solving capabilities, enabling individuals and communities to rebuild their futures
Understanding the Dependency Mindset
The dependency mindset refers to a psychological and social state where individuals or communities rely excessively on external aid rather than developing internal capacities to solve their own problems.
Reducing self-confidence, lacking the problem-solving skills, and a passive attitude toward challenges at the individual level , hindered development, prolonged poverty cycles, and over-reliance on external assistance at the Community level and loss of innovation, self-sufficiency, and social cohesion as a long term are the main impacts which might cause as a result..
Emergencies often lead to School closures, destruction of educational infrastructure, and disruption of learning while Increasing risks of child labor, early marriages, exploitation, and recruitment into armed groups by causing Psychological trauma among children and youth, reducing motivation and mental stability.
According to UNESCO and INEE, millions of children affected by crises are deprived of education, further entrenching cycles of dependency and vulnerability.
Education in Emergencies (EiE): Core Principles and Benefits
Education in emergencies (EiE) involves ensuring that children and communities continue to learn despite crises. Key principles including protection & psychosocial support which provide a safe and structured environment to heal from trauma , academic continuity by Maintaining learning of basic literacy, numeracy, and life skills and resilience building by promoting adaptive capacities, peacebuilding, and social cohesion.
Reducing risks helps to Protect children from exploitation, early marriages, and violence by Supporting recovery with the help of the education which acts as a bridge to normalcy, helping communities to rebuild. It also Build human capital for economic recovery and sustainable growth which Fosters long-term development while Promoting innovation help to encourages creative thinking and problem-solving and countering dependency.
The Link Between Education and the Elimination of Dependency Mindset
Education breaks the dependency cycle by Developing agency and self-reliance by equipping individuals with the skills to take control of their lives while fostering critical thinking by encouraging innovation and problem-solving rather than passivity. Building community resilience helps empowering communities to respond to crises using local resources and knowledge.EiE initiatives also focus on community participation, teacher empowerment, and psychosocial learning, which strengthen independence and confidence.
Global and Local Evidence
Research shows UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring Reports emphasize that education in crises is essential for achieving SDG 4 (Quality Education).CMDI studies in China reveal that disaster preparedness programs in schools increase students’ self-protective behaviors and reduce dependency on external rescue. Examples from countries like Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Rwanda show how school-based emergency programs foster community-driven recovery.
Education equips communities with practical skills—e.g. disaster preparedness, first aid, vocational training, livelihood alternatives—that reduce long-term reliance on external aid. When people learn how to manage risks and rebuild, dependency diminishes. Structured learning fosters critical and adaptive thinking. Rather than waiting passively, people identify local solutions—repair damaged infrastructure, organize community savings groups, run small businesses. This shift transforms recipients into proactive agents. Schools and education programs in emergencies can foster community networks. Students, teachers, and parents collaborate on preparedness drills, disaster response teams, and reconstruction—all strengthening local ownership and collective agency. Continuing education amid crises provides stability and psychosocial healing, particularly for youth. It contributes to motivation and resilience countering fatalism or resignation that can accompany dependency.
Sri Lanka’s Experience & Education in Emergencies
Due to Tsunami of 2004 over 35,000 Sri Lankans died; 182 schools destroyed and 287 repurposed as displacement camps—educational continuity collapsed overnight. Recurring floods & landslides, plus the 2020–2022 economic crisis and pandemic closures, severely disrupted schooling—highlighting education’s vulnerability yet necessity. Concurrently, Sri Lanka has grappled with a broader cultural dependency mindset, where citizens come to expect government or external assistance without reciprocal effort. Critics note that decades of welfare-politics have nurtured a sense of entitlement over collective responsibility .
Education’s Role in Shifting Mindsets
* Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in School Curricula : Education initiatives now integrate tsunami preparedness and hazard awareness into the curriculum. Studies show that half of coastal schools lacked evacuation drills after 2004, underscoring the need for systematic preparedness in education .
* Civil society & youth capacity-building around EiE: In early 2025, the Coalition for Educational Development (CED Sri Lanka) held youth workshops—training young leaders in flood-prone Ratnapura on INEE Minimum Standards, disaster preparedness, advocacy, and emergency response planning . Later, a wider Awareness Programme on Education in Emergencies emphasized inclusive systems and community role in disaster planning .
* Thorough DRR trainings in schools: NGOs like A‑PAD SL have delivered interactive Disaster Risk Reduction training for students across southern, Eastern, and Uva provinces, teaching thunder/lightning, flood, and heat‑wave safety. These empower children as active participants in resilience-building .
* Sarvodaya and community self‑governance: Indigenous organizations like the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement emphasize self-help and local reconstruction post-tsunami, encouraging beneficiaries to contribute labor and leadership in rebuilding rather than remain passive recipients—thus reinforcing agency and community ownership .
Through these efforts, Sri Lanka is actively transforming from a model of crisis aid dependent on external actors to one grounded in local knowledge, youth leadership, and self-organizing resilience.
Mechanisms & Strategies in Sri Lanka
A. National & Institutional Integration
Curriculum reforms: Integrating DRR and emergency preparedness into Science, Geography, and life-skills syllabi ensures education systems anticipate and prepare for disasters—reducing external reliance.
School safety and infrastructure: Many schools in high-risk zones face structural damage. Efforts are underway to inspect and retrofit buildings, install early-warning systems, and embed evacuation planning into school management .
B. Civil Society & Youth Leadership
Programs run by groups like CED encourage youth to advocate for local Education-in-Emergencies (EiE) policies, bridging between communities and official disaster planning agencies .Local volunteer movements reinforce education through self-help rebuilding after disasters (e.g., Sarvodaya’s post-tsunami reconstruction), teaching communities ownership of recovery tasks .
C. Utilization of Informal Learning & Peer Education
Peer-led disaster safety groups in schools—facilitated by trained students—help disseminate knowledge and build internal capacity so that safety procedures are maintained even when external support withdraws.
D. Hybrid & Distance Learning Innovations
During COVID-19, remote learning rolled out via TV, WhatsApp and social media—but accessibility was limited. Only 45% of students were reached; true interactive platforms reached only 4% .
While flawed, these initiatives created space to promote blended-hybrid learning strategies, encouraging student-centered learning and reducing reliance on centrally delivered “spoon‑fed” lessons .
Why Education in Emergencies Matters for Eliminating Dependency
When people learn to prepare, cope, self-organize, and recover, they depend less on external donors. Instead of waiting for relief packages, they lead reconstruction and advocacy securing external support only in strategic, enabling roles. Sri Lanka’s traditional welfare programs (e.g. Samurdhi, Janasaviya) though needed, often foster dependency by awarding aid without building agency or reciprocal social bonds. Education in emergencies, however, builds skills and community ties rather than mere consumption of benefits.
Education-centered community recovery restores social trust: youth, parents, teachers, local leaders collaborate. This revives Sri Lanka’s traditional ethics of collective responsibility, counterbalancing transactional political patronage systems .Robust emergency education normalizes preparedness, drumming capacity into systems—not just individuals. Communities equipped with skills, networks, and critical thinking stand better equipped when future crises strike. Formal education—during or after crises—stuffers hopelessness and idleness. Schools offer structure and hope; learning encourages future orientation. This counters dependency’s emotional and mental side, reinforcing self-worth and ambition.
Challenges & Recommendations for Sri Lanka
1. Infrastructure gaps: Many schools, particularly in rural and coastal zones, lack safe buildings, warning systems, or evacuation plans. Damage from landslides and earth slips continues to expose students to risks .
2. Access disparities: Remote households lacked internet or devices during COVID-19 closures; access remains uneven, especially among disadvantaged communities .
3. Cultural inertia: Deep-rooted dependency attitudes—reinforced by political welfare—impede shifts toward self-reliance .
4. Fragmented leadership & coordination: Multiple agencies, civil-society groups, and education authorities often act in silos without integrated EiE strategies.
5. Limited monitoring & knowledge systems: Schools and communities lack systematic data on learning loss, dropout risk, and disaster preparedness.
Strategic Recommendations
To eliminate dependency mindset through education in emergencies education should be recognized as the fourth pillar of humanitarian response (alongside food, water, and shelter) while securing sustainable funding for EiE programs by incorporating resilience-based curricula that teach problem-solving and self-reliance and enhancing community-driven education initiatives rather than donor-driven approaches.
➤ Policy & System Strengthening : Embed Education in Emergencies (EiE) and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) into national education policy and planning. Mandate safety standards, evacuation drills, and early-warning systems in school regulations and accreditation.
➤ Capacity Building & Community Ownership: Train teachers, school leaders, and youth leaders in INEE minimum standards and emergency pedagogies (as CED has started) .Promote community-led school governance committees to oversee safety and resilience planning.
➤ Infrastructure Upgrades: Prioritize retrofitting school buildings in hazard-prone districts. Establish systematic hazard audits and maintenance schedules grounded in disaster preparedness.
➤ Inclusive Access & Hybrid Learning: Expand low-tech and offline learning alternatives (radio, community learning hubs) in connectivity-poor areas. Design blended learning curricula emphasizing active learning and student agency.
➤ Monitoring, Data & Research: Systematically assess learning recovery post-disruptions, track dropouts, and gather feedback from communities. Share good practices and explore ongoing research partnerships (e.g. tsunami preparedness studies) .
➤ Culture Change & Citizenship Education: Bake civic, ethical, and participatory citizenship modules into education—teaching reciprocity, self-help, and responsibility. Highlight historical traditions (e.g., tank-village cooperation, Sangha support systems) as heritage models of collective action and agency .
Conclusion
Education in emergencies is far more than a stopgap—it is a transformation engine. In Sri Lanka, reinforcing education capacity during crises like the tsunami, floods, pandemics, or economic shock can fundamentally shift mindsets away from dependency toward resilience, agency, and collective ownership. Empowered youth, prepared schools, active communities, and policy institutions together form a durable foundation—so that when disaster strikes, Sri Lankans respond not as passive aid recipients but as informed, organized, responsible actors.
This systemic move from reliance toward self-reliance is not automatic. It demands sustained policy commitment, infrastructure investment, civil-society collaboration, and culture change. But Sri Lanka is already laying down the pieces. With continued momentum, education in emergencies can become a national bridge: connecting crisis response to transformative development, and ending the cycle of dependency once and for all.
