Safer Schools Rapid Diagnostics in Tonga

Safer Schools Rapid Diagnostics in Tonga assessed the vulnerability of existing school infrastructure to natural hazards and determined contributing factors of risk to school infrastructure. The goal was to help the government of Tonga develop a school reconstruction and retrofitting program through the Pacific Resilience Program (PREP).

Activities supported by the World Bank

• Diagnostic activities to identify the drivers of risk, the range of natural hazards, and the climate change hazards that might affect the operations, retrofitting, and replacement of school infrastructure, including an analysis of the common building types and their vulnerability to natural hazards 

• Analysis of the existing institutional framework and policies within which school infrastructure was being planned, designed, constructed, operated, maintained, repaired, and retrofitted in Tonga

• Rapid visual assessment (RVA) of 14 schools to gain a better understanding of different building types and their vulnerabilities, including assessment of hazard performance, exposure, and vulnerability, to determine preliminary options for risk mitigation strategies, such as school retrofitting

Main outputs

• A comprehensive report detailing the main findings of the rapid diagnostic activities, which included stakeholder meetings, school visits, and a review of existing data

• Analysis of gaps in existing hazard data

• Recommendations of opportunities to be further investigated under subsequent engagements for strengthening the way schools are planned, designed, constructed, operated, and maintained

• Data collected using the Roadmap for Safer and Resilient Schools methodology, which can be built on to develop a nationwide safer schools roadmap in subsequent engagements

• Recommendations for entry-level investments to be financed by the World Bank Pacific Resilience Program (PREP)