In Spain, next to mathematics and history, a new, fundamental lesson arrives on the school desks: how to survive an induction, a wooded fire or an earthquake. The Spanish government has launched a national program to teach children and teenagers, starting from three years, the correct actions to be taken in the face of emergencies and natural disasters, an initiative that arises from the growing urgency imposed by the climatic crisis.
The plan, presented by the Ministry of Education, will involve over 8 million students in 25,000 educational institutions. The stated goal is to provide a training package that transmits “knowledge, skills, attitudes and values necessary to deal with emergency situations safely and effectively”. It is not just about theory: training will be mandatory and will make use of videos, infographics and other multimedia supports to be as concrete as possible.
Formar Hoy Para Proter El Mañana.
España Se convierte en Referent to incorporar a la educación Obligatoria The culture of the formación en emergencias y Impercción Civil.
Las Políticas de Emergencias Deben Ser Política de Estado. Hay Cuestiones que dismeat las ideologías. pic.twitter.com/mvzxsiiuug
– Pedro Sánchez (@Sanchezcastejon) September 11, 2025
From the alarm to the school desk: tailor -made lessons for any age
The program was designed to be adaptable to the different age groups. The pupils of the nursery and primary school will receive a minimum of two hours of lessons, while for larger students the hours will go up to at least four. The contents will be specific and practical. “Children aged between three, four and five years will learn to recognize an alarm and identify the first signs of danger, in addition to the basic security principles,” explained the ministry in an official note. The older boys, on the other hand, will be taught as “looking for a higher point during a flood and shelter under a bench if the earth starts to tremble”, reports the guardian.
A crucial aspect of the educational path will also be to teach students to distinguish “the differences between information and disinformation in emergency situations”, a fundamental competence in an era dominated by social media and fake news. The Spanish autonomous communities will also have the right to adapt the training content based on the specific risks of their territory, whether they are forest fires, floods, volcanic eruptions or chemical and industrial accidents.
A political response to the climatic emergency
This educational initiative is part of a larger plan in 10 points of the government to protect the country, a nation that is located in the front line in the face of the impacts of climate change. The decision comes after a summer marked by devastating fires that caused four victims and less than a year by catastrophic floods that caused the death of over 220 people.
Speaking during the presentation of the program, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez underlined the need to prepare the new generations to respond to scenarios “which have clearly worsened by the climatic emergency”. Sánchez has launched an appeal for a “great state pact” against the climatic crisis, urging to put aside political divergences.
“We leave aside ideological issues and listen to reason, science and common sense”, he said, highlighting the urgency of “common sense policies to face emergencies”. An appeal that, however, has now been rejected by the main opposition party, the popular party, which has criticized the management of fires by the government, stating that “state pacts do not turn off the flames, nor restore what has been lost”.
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