As strong tremors struck the Philippines on Monday, a widely-circulated video brought focus to the life-saving role school teachers often play at such fraught moments. As the 7.8-magnitude earthquake shook the southern town of Malita on the morning schools reopened after the summer break, students were seen squatting under the instruction of teachers, who were clinging on to the more disturbed ones. As the first responders for the most vulnerable section of any society, teachers must be given regular training to respond in an emergency. Sadly, in India, this increasingly includes counselling at moments of extreme stress. Last year, a teacher in Jaipur saved a 19-year-old NEET aspirant who was attempting to jump off a terrace. Imagine the difference a well-trained elder with a duty of care can make in such a situation.
