Students, teachers, engineers and experts from a variety of fields gathered to design cost-effective and locally-relevant solutions to enhance the ability of schools to manage natural and man-made disasters, during a three-day hackathon at Aga Khan University's Institute for Educational Development.

Participants at the event noted that the rare nature of emergencies such as fires, floods and other safety hazards meant that public and private sector schools were unprepared and ill-equipped to deal with such crises. Unfortunately, such one-off events can have a disproportionate, and often catastrophic, impact on a school's operations and stakeholders. That's why emergency response trainings, safety drills and other means of ensuring emergency preparedness need to be a regular part of a school's strategic planning and processes, speakers said. Experts added that mitigation measures were often taken in the aftermath of disasters as they called on schools to adopt a forward-thinking approach that considered all possible risks in their environment as well as the processes needed to effectively manage a disaster. One of the three winning teams at the event, BVS School Team, highlighted the problem of fires caused by short circuits in computer labs, classrooms and staff rooms. They noted that the simple, preventive step of installing a carbon dioxide chamber inside electrical switchboards could stop a potential fire at its source and reduce the threat of loss of life and property.

Other teams at the event identified the way safety drills were conducted as being a problem. A high school student taking part in the hackathon, Ahsan, said: "The customary drills that happen in my school are casually planned. There is no seriousness exhibited on the part of student body or administration. It's critical that the mindset changes before any calamity strikes again."

Team Zords proposed the use of virtual reality (VR) technology to ensure active participation in safety drills. They stated that VR provided an immersive experience for trainees which enhanced the retention of key concepts. The team called on schools to prepare tailored sessions and a 'safety curriculum' that would enable them to impart safety drills in a more engaging manner.

The final winning team at the event, ER Tales, also selected the problem of a lack of attention during drills leading to ineffective response during emergencies and disaster situations.