Education for disaster risk reduction in the seismic landscape: Co-creating resilience through university-school networks in Northern Thailand

This study examined how university-school collaborations can serve as transformative platforms for building community resilience and promoting sustainable development in Chiang Rai Province, Northern Thailand, which was affected by the 2014 earthquake and is exposed to transboundary seismic risks from the 2025 Myanmar earthquake. The research investigated the role of educational partnerships in fostering long-term adaptive capacity. Adopting a qualitative exploratory design, the study was guided by a composite conceptual framework that integrates the Community of Practice, Social-Ecological System, and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) perspectives. Data was gathered through in-depth interviews and content analysis involving purposively selected informants, including government officials, school principals, and educators. The study analyzed three core dimensions of school safety: institutional capacity, physical infrastructure, and external relationships. The findings revealed that resilience is not merely a product of engineering solutions or administrative mandates but emerges from deeply rooted knowledge and collaborative practices among diverse educational and community actors. The university-school network operates as a dynamic community of practice, facilitating mutual learning, cross-generational engagement, and participatory knowledge production. These networks strengthen the schools’ roles as integral centers within a broader social-ecological risk governance system, fostering iterative adaptation and context-sensitive responses to disaster threats. Furthermore, the research demonstrates how such partnerships contribute to the realization of global sustainability goals, particularly SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), and SDG 13 (Climate Action), by integrating disaster preparedness, ecological thinking, and civic responsibility into the educational system.