The Health Emergency Initiative (HEI) has advocated integrating sustainable emergency response education into the country’s school curriculum. The group’s Executive Director, Paschal Achunine, who stated this, said the organisation has received approval to train secondary school students in Lagos State on essential first aid and pre-hospital care skills.
Achunine, described it as a pivotal moment for Nigeria’s emergency response system as it will create a generation of informed and proactive citizens, adding, “Our vision is to embed a culture of first response readiness in Nigeria.”
According to the organisation, the one-year pilot programme was successful. The Lagos State Ministry of Education has granted a five-year approval, allowing the organization to train secondary school students in Lagos State on how to respond to emergencies.
“The approval paves the way for integrating lifesaving first responder and pre-hospital care training into the curriculum of secondary schools, ensures schools and supervising districts actively support, and transformative training programmes.
“This approval is a game-changer in our efforts to ensure that no life is lost due to a lack of immediate response during emergencies. The initiative includes the establishment of First Responders Clubs in schools, fostering long-term knowledge retention and transfer among teachers and students,” Achunine said.
Each trained participant is expected to extend their learning by training 50 additional people within 60 days, amplifying the programme’s impact.
The approval also allows HEI to organise debates, quizzes, and essay competitions for students, further driving advocacy and awareness of the importance of emergency preparedness.
