Nagaland Sets a New Standard for School Safety with Innovative Disaster Preparedness Training
If a fire broke out in your school during morning assembly, would your staff know what to do? If an earthquake struck during lunch break, would students run or stay put? These are uncomfortable questions but essential ones. And for far too long, they’ve gone unanswered.
According to national education safety audits, over 90% of Indian schools are not equipped to handle even basic disaster situations. The safety infrastructure is minimal, drills are rare, and most teachers have never been trained in emergency response. The consequences? Potentially, devastating.
But one State is changing the narrative.
In a groundbreaking move, the Government of Nagaland, through the Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority (NSDMA) in collaboration with the Department of School Education (DoSE) and NagaEd, launched the Nagaland Disaster Management School Safety Policy (NDMSSP) Compliance Course in 2023 — a first-of-its-kind training program designed to test and transform how schools prepare for emergencies. With the successful completion of Phase 1, the compliance course is currently in its second phase.
The Compliance Course That Prepares Schools for Disasters
The School Safety Policy Compliance Course is not a passive orientation session. It is an immersive, step-by-step training experience that walks schools through real-world disaster scenarios and helps them build readiness from the ground up, based on the national guidelines of the school safety policy.
Developed by NagaEd, the course includes:
· Interactive and contextual modules tailored for Nagaland’s disaster profile (landslides, floods, tremors, etc.)
· Interactive assessments to drive engagement and information retention.
“Preparedness is the difference between panic and protection. When teachers and students know exactly what to do, disasters don’t have to turn into tragedies,” said Johnny Ruangmei, Joint Chief Executive Officer, Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority.
More Than a Course —A Blueprint for Safer Schools
What sets the course apart is its instructional design-first approach, integrating learning science, local relevance, and government standards into one unified training system.
This model can be scaled across states and beyond. For education leaders, NGOs, CSR partners, and DRR professionals, it serves as a ready-to-implement framework that helps bridge the gap between policy and practice.
“Nagaland is leading by example. This initiative shows that with the right vision and commitment, school safety can evolve into a lasting culture, not just a compliance formality,” said Aonok Aier, Head of Projects & Learning Excellence, NagaED.
Teachers of Nagaland, enroll today!
Phase 2 of the School Safety Policy Compliance Course is live! Enroll now! To register, visit the Department of School Education website.
– Naga Ed.
