By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Aiming to make the schools of the State safer and to prevent any unfortunate incident, the State Disaster Management Authority is all set to implement the National School Safety Programme (NSSP) in four hundred schools in Meghalaya.
The executive officer of the State Disaster Management Authority, HB Marak, on Thursday told reporters that the scheme will be implemented in two hundred schools each in East Garo Hills and Ri-Bhoi districts.
The NSSP is aimed at sensitizing students and the education community on disaster preparedness and safety measures and to motivate direct participation of key stakeholders in activities to help build disaster resilient community, initiate policy level changes for ensuring safe school environment and to carry out demonstrative structural retrofitting. According to Marak, a survey of the selected schools will be conducted by qualified engineers and the Authority will also impart training on the programme to teachers from next month.
“Our target is to train one thousand teachers,” he said, while adding that the schools will also have to work out a plan for tackling any eventuality.
The implementation of the programme is noteworthy in view of the recent incident where 29 students were injured in a stampede that occurred in St. Margaret’s Higher Secondary School here.
In this connection, the Directorate of Disaster Management also organised a State-level sensitization workshop for senior officers of various departments in the city on Thursday.
The workshop dwelt and deliberated on fire safety, search and rescue and first-aid preparedness in schools.
Resource persons from the Directorate of Disaster Management, Forest, Defence, Fire Services, Health, PWD, took part in the workshop which was also attended by NGO members.