Lahore & Rawalpindi emerged as the leading district in Punjab for emergency evacuation drills and safety training in educational institutions, according to a monitoring report released by the Emergency Services Department Punjab. The province-wide safety campaign covered schools, colleges, universities and other educational setups, training more than 22,500 students and staff to respond effectively during emergencies.
The report shows that Lahore conducted drills in 49 institutions, training 3,170 individuals, including 2,919 students and 251 faculty and staff members, placing it at the top of the provincial ranking. Rawalpindi followed with 1,835 individuals trained, while Muzaffargarh, Sahiwal and Gujranwala also recorded strong performance, collectively accounting for a significant share of the trained population.
In Muzaffargarh, drills were held across 11 institutions, training 1,433 participants, including a notable number of staff members. Sahiwal trained 1,164 individuals, while Gujranwala recorded 938 trained participants through drills conducted in schools, colleges and other institutions. These districts were recognised for maintaining consistent engagement and coverage during the monitoring period.
The province-wide data indicates that a total of 277 schools, 100 colleges, eight universities, one madrassa and six other institutions were covered. Overall, 20,757 students and 1,747 faculty and staff members received emergency preparedness training, highlighting the scale of the initiative aimed at improving safety awareness in educational environments.
Mid-ranking districts such as Bahawalnagar, Layyah, Multan, Rajanpur and Faisalabad also demonstrated steady progress, each training between 700 and 900 individuals. Officials noted that these districts have the capacity to further expand coverage by increasing the number of institutions included in daily drills.
At the lower end of the ranking, districts including Murree, Hafizabad, Gujrat, Mandi Bahauddin and Narowal reported comparatively fewer drills and trainees. While acknowledging logistical and institutional constraints, authorities emphasised that these districts need to accelerate implementation to ensure uniform safety preparedness across Punjab.
Officials from Emergency Services Punjab stated that the evacuation drills are part of a continuous safety campaign aimed at strengthening emergency response awareness among students and educators. The department encouraged lower-ranking districts to increase the pace of training and expand outreach so that all educational institutions can provide a safer environment for students.
Read in Urdu: پنجاب میں حفاظتی مہم کے تحت تعلیمی اداروں میں ہنگامی تربیت، ہزاروں طلبہ و اساتذہ مستفید
