Adaptive capacity index of public schools in the municipalities of bay and Los Baños, Laguna Philippines

Abstract

An instrument to measure School Adaptive Capacity Index was developed using livelihood assets and school management as the main determinants using the theory driven approach to indicator development. Randomly selected teachers from the 38 public elementary and high schools from Bay and Los Baños Laguna, grouped according to the effects of floods experienced, were interviewed. It was found that the schools in general were highly adaptive. High schools have better human and physical assets than elementary schools, while non-flooded schools have better natural assets than flooded schools. SACI of high schools were significantly higher than elementary schools. On the other hand, flooded and non flooded schools have more or less the same SACI. School management and social assets were vital in increasing the adaptive capacity of schools in the different groups. Scores in a particular asset may vary between groups and within each group implying that there is no uniform approach to improving the adaptive capacity and that interventions should always consider the uniqueness among each of these schools. The instrument developed is highly recommended to assess the institutional adaptive capacities of other schools to floods.