Análise do contributo da educação ambiental formal na Escola Secundária Josina Machel para a mitigação dos impactos dos abalos sísmicos

Abstract

Natural disasters have increasingly emerged as a major global challenge due to the extensive impacts they exert on human societies, physical infrastructure and natural systems. Among these events, seismic phenomena are particularly notable because of their sudden manifestation and their capacity to generate severe material losses and human casualties, especially in contexts marked by limited preparedness and insufficient preventive measures. In this sense, strengthening community resilience becomes a critical priority, with education standing out as a key instrument for reducing vulnerability. Formal environmental education plays a crucial role in this process by fostering awareness, enhancing knowledge and encouraging the development of attitudes and behaviours focused on disaster prevention and risk reduction. Within this framework, the present study seeks to examine the contribution of formal environmental education to the mitigation of seismic impacts at Josina Machel Secondary School, located in the city of Maputo. The study is grounded in a qualitative methodological approach, employing bibliographic research, document analysis and semi-structured interviews as the main data collection techniques. Participants included eleventh-grade students, a geography teacher, administrative staff members and the school’s pedagogical director. Data were analysed using content analysis, which enabled a structured interpretation of the perceptions and experiences reported by the participants. The findings reveal that the school community demonstrates general knowledge of environmental education and possesses basic awareness of seismic events. Nevertheless, limitations were identified in relation to practical preparedness and the systematic implementation of continuous educational strategies aimed at reducing seismic risks. It is therefore concluded that formal environmental education plays a relevant role in raising awareness and strengthening knowledge within the school community, although further investment in more structured, practical and context-specific educational actions is required to improve prevention and safety in the school environment.