Ashrafuddin Pirzada
LANDIKOTAL: Chairman Higher Education Regulatory Authority (HERA) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Captain (R)Khalid Mahmood on Thursday said that the need for mandatory basic civil defence training for all students in private and public educational institutions would be implemented to prepare youth for life-saving purposes.
He announced that directives would be issued to private colleges and universities to start civil defence training courses.
Speaking at a civil defence ceremony organized at Dawn Harvard School System, located within Jamrud Shakas’ Jamia Islamia Al-Farooqia Khalid Mehmood highlighted the importance of incorporating first aid, firefighting, and rescue training into the curriculum.
“Every student must be equipped with these life-saving skills to respond professionally in emergencies and minimize potential losses to life and property,” he said.
Mahmood said he would discuss with the secretary of elementary and higher education to make similar training mandatory for students in government schools. Commending the efforts of the Civil Defense Department, he said that this year alone, over 67,000 individuals, including students and professionals, had been trained in essential skills like first aid, firefighting, and rescue operations.
Deputy Director of Civil Defense Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Naushad Khan, also addressed the event, stressing the increased need for such training in light of current circumstances. He pointed out that countries like the United Kingdom have already integrated civil defence courses into their curricula.
“We aim to ensure that every family in the province has at least one trained individual to effectively respond during emergencies,” he said. He said the department had provided training to over 17,000 students, 4,000 government employees, 10,000 labourers, 27,000 members of the general public, and 9,000 civil defence volunteers this year.
Ghulam Habib and Gul Nabi also spoke during the event, emphasizing the significance of emergency preparedness.
During the ceremony, certificates were distributed to 150 Dawn Harvard School System students who had successfully completed a 15-day civil defence course conducted by Civil Defense Officer Syed Shah.
Notably, the Dawn Harvard School System operates within the Jamia Islamia Al-Farooqia and provides free education to orphaned children.
