Kohima– Nagaland’s School Safety Policy Compliance Course stands out as a landmark in disaster preparedness for education, designed from the start to translate policy into practice at scale. Built through a rare and effective public–private partnership (PPP) between the Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority (NSDMA), the Department of School Education (DoSE), and NagaEd, the course launched on December 1, 2023, Statehood Day, underlining government ownership and system legitimacy. The initiative directly answers national guidance that school safety applies to every school, rural or urban, and must be embedded in daily functioning, with training integrated in both pre-service and in-service programs. By June 2024, the project had registered 18% of all teachers in the state, exceeding Phase 1 targets and demonstrating how a digital compliance model can overcome geographic, time, and budget barriers while building trust in public systems.
From day one, the SSP initiative was structured for shared accountability and speed. NSDMA set overall policy direction and convened inter-departmental coordination; The Directorate of School Education (DoSE) ensured system-level adoption, data integration, and notifications; and NagaEd provided the digital courseware, learning management system, and ongoing support to schools and teacher cohorts. The partnership was formalised on June 9, 2023, with development work beginning immediately and a clear date for launch within the calendar year.
The collaboration was operational, not ceremonial. Joint planning meetings mapped roles to milestones: training of 46 EBRC master trainers on November 28, 2023; sign-off of course modules by November 24; a mandatory compliance circular to all schools; and a coordinated media rollout. Leaders also agreed to host and link the course through official channels to ensure open access and legitimacy across the system.
Crucially, ego gave way to execution. As Kevisato Sanyu, founder of NagaEd, noted, “By digitising the School Safety Policy, we can increase its reach and effectiveness, creating a safer environment for all stakeholders,” framing technology as a compliance and culture-building tool, not an end in itself.
NSDMA’s Joint CEO Johnny Ruangmei underscored the public value: “We believe this partnership will revolutionise the way school safety is implemented and monitored in Nagaland,” signalling a shift from paper guidelines to measurable, teacher-level adoption. The PPP also set a national ambition, to develop “a quality course that can be scaled nationally to other states’ departments of education”, placing accountability and replication at the heart of design.
National School Safety Policy Guidelines are unambiguous: the guidance applies to all schools, and safety principles must be woven into daily routines. In Nagaland, the PPP operationalised that principle by bringing private schools alongside government institutions from the outset. DoSE and NSDMA were requested to share private-school teacher and UDISE data, an administrative pivot that enabled equitable tracking and onboarding at scale. Mobilisation also leveraged the All Nagaland Private School Association (ANPSA) to reach private schools while EBRCs covered government schools, ensuring both systems moved together rather than in parallel.
The rationale is straightforward: with roughly 65% of children enrolled in private schools, excluding private institutions would create a systemic blind spot and compromise safety for a majority of learners. The numbers confirm broad uptake. By Phase 1 close (June 2024), registrations included 24% of all government school teachers and 13% of all private-school teachers in the state. District tallies also demonstrated that inclusion was not tokenistic but programmatic. The course design also anticipates national guidance on teacher preparation by integrating safety training into ongoing professional development, pre-service and in-service, so compliance is continuous, not a one-off.
Implementation was disciplined and on time. After module reviews and sign-offs, master trainers were prepared on November 28, 2023; the course launched December 1, 2023; and a workflow for certification and monthly reporting was instituted, complete with official notifications and media outreach to ensure visibility and uptake. The program surged past its Phase 1 registration target by almost 200%.
User feedback points to efficiency, trust, and minimal disruption to teaching. A large majority (72.55%) agreed that the self-paced format did not interfere with their regular classes, indicating that compliance and classroom responsibilities can co-exist when designed well. Most respondents found the videos engaging (89.47%) and the learning checks both important and easy to attempt (95.02% and 68.85%, respectively). The course’s relevance was emphatic: 98.29% agreed that the SSP course is needed in the state, with 96.30% affirming that objectives were clearly defined.
Beyond the platform, a sustained outreach strategy created public visibility and momentum, over 16.76 lakh ad impressions and a reach of 3.64 lakh users across digital and traditional media channels during Phase 1, directly correlating with the surge in registrations in May–June 2024. This blend of delivery discipline and transparent communication helped build public confidence in both the education and disaster-management systems.
Four elements stand out. First, a shared vision: the project was framed not as an IT rollout but as a safety mandate with clear targets, milestones, and accountability, right down to EBRC training dates and module sign-offs before launch. Second, inclusion by design: private schools were systematically onboarded through data integration and ANPSA mobilisation, preventing policy gaps in coverage. Third, operational clarity: a simple compliance pathway, self-paced modules, embedded assessments, and monthly digital certificates, met teachers where they are and did not overload classrooms, as the user feedback confirms. Fourth, a child-safety focus: teachers reported concrete gains in practical readiness, mock drills, first aid/CPR, and evacuation planning, translating policy into practice at the school level.
Finally, the partnership shows national potential. The planning notes explicitly envisioned a quality course that can be licensed to other states, precisely the sort of scalable, compliance-grade intervention that other disaster management authorities can adopt with local adaptation. This PPP offers a replicable playbook: align mission, digitise for scale, include every school, and measure what matters.
The NSDMA–DoSE–NagaEd School Safety Policy Compliance Course delivered results: rapid scale, strong teacher acceptance, and real gains in school-level readiness. It demonstrates that disaster resilience in education must be inclusive, collaborative, and execution-focused. With over a quarter of the teaching workforce reached in year one, Nagaland has set a benchmark. The next step is obvious: scale these partnerships nationwide, so every school can keep every child safe.