The three-city ‘America with Kerala’ project, set against the backdrop of the 2018 floods, will explore the possibility of academic collaboration in disaster management between the US and Kerala.
This initiative was designed to share key lessons and best practices in the US and India, Lauren Lovelace, Consul for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, US Consulate General, Chennai, said at the inaugural ceremony of ‘America with Kerala: Uniting for a Disaster Resilient Kerala.’
Curriculum
The Thiruvananthapuram session would look into the possibility of developing a curriculum on disaster management in higher education. Ms. Lovelace and Dr. Himanshu Grover, co-director, Institute for Hazard Mitigation and Planning, College of Built Environments, University of Washington, also held talks with Higher Education Minister K.T. Jaleel.
“We believe our experience in the US holds relevance for Kerala. Therefore we welcome more than 70 stakeholders, from academics to policy makers to media representatives, to contribute and enrich the ‘America with Kerala’ initiative,” Ms. Lovelace said.
Inaugurating the initiative, Mr. Jaleel underscored the need for disaster management programmes in the State’s higher education sector. Although disaster management had emerged a subject of study, competent faculty was, however, the need of the hour. Calling for a scientific approach to disaster management, Chief Secretary Tom Jose underscored the need to view disasters from a multi-dimensional perspective.
The initiative
The Thiruvananthapuram phase of ‘America with Kerala’ will conclude on Wednesday. The next phase will be held in Kochi from July 23 to 25 on urban planning and infrastructure. The final session, in Kozhikode from August 26 to 28, will focus on grassroots community resilience.