The Ministry of Education has moved to broaden emergency medical technician training in schools by making basic EMT certification available to faculty and staff, not only school nurses, reporters Rachel Lin and Esme Yeh said.
More trained responders to protect the school ‘golden hour’
Under the expanded approach, school nurses will continue to receive the existing requirement of at least 40 hours of EMT training. In addition, faculty and staff will be offered EMT‑1—the basic level of EMT training—to create a larger frontline emergency response workforce on campus, the report said.
Officials emphasised the need to secure the so‑called golden hour, the critical period immediately after a student becomes injured or loses consciousness, when timely first aid and stabilisation can significantly influence outcomes.
"The goal of the policy is not just to increase the number of trainees earning a certificate, but to enable proper and independent first aid treatments when emergencies occur in schools," K‑12 Education Administration official Chiu Chiu‑chan said.
Programme rollout and support
The K‑12 Education Administration has been promoting EMT‑1 training since 2024 and has commissioned the National Academy for Educational Research to organise the programmes, the reporters said. Professional fire and emergency medical knowledge has been incorporated into the training.
So far, there were 77 school nurses, faculty and staff from primary and secondary schools participating in EMT‑1 training, the report stated. Officials framed the expansion as a way to build a campus emergency response support network so that more people on site can act independently and appropriately when urgent incidents occur.
- Mandatory nurse training: Minimum 40 hours of EMT training for school nurses.
- Expanded cohort: Faculty and staff eligible for EMT‑1 (basic) training.
- Organising body: National Academy for Educational Research tasked with programme delivery.
- Participants to date: 77 school nurses, faculty and staff have taken part.
Context and implications for schools
The initiative sits within a broader effort to strengthen on‑site emergency care. By training a wider group of adults who are present during school hours, the ministry hopes to reduce delays in first aid and bridge the gap until professional emergency services arrive.
For school leaders, the expansion raises practical considerations: scheduling staff for training without disrupting teaching; ensuring equipment and supplies are available at schools; and maintaining up‑to‑date recertification and drills so skills remain current. The integration of fire and emergency medical knowledge suggests the programme is being designed with multi‑hazard response in mind.
Officials framed campus safety as foundational to education, saying the ministry will continue to integrate professional resources relating to fire and emergency response into schools, according to the reporting.
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Current nurse requirement | At least 40 hours EMT training |
| Expanded group | Faculty and staff eligible for EMT‑1 |
| Organiser | National Academy for Educational Research |
| Participants reported | 77 school nurses, faculty and staff |
As more jurisdictions consider measures to improve school safety, the step to train non‑medical school staff to a basic EMT level offers a model for increasing on‑site capacity without relying solely on professional emergency responders. The reported aim is practical: give school communities the skills to preserve life and stabilise pupils during the most critical moments after an incident.
Whether the expansion will be scaled further, how frequently staff will be refreshed or assessed, and what resource implications this will have for schools were not detailed in the reporting.
