Compulsory Resuscitation Training Implemented in NRW - Educating Future Lifesavers Tomorrow
In a groundbreaking move, the state government of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) has announced the implementation of mandatory Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) training for all secondary school students, starting from the school year 2026/27. This initiative, which is the result of a comprehensive cooperation agreement involving multiple medical, foundation, and organizational partners, aims to instil essential emergency response skills in young people and boost community readiness to handle cardiac emergencies effectively.
The training, which will last for 90 minutes, will be integrated as a compulsory part of the curriculum. Schools will be equipped with appropriate training mannequins and resuscitation aids to facilitate realistic CPR practice, including adult and child CPR mannequins. To ensure the training's success, teachers will undergo dedicated training to become certified CPR instructors, enabling them to conduct effective, standardized training sessions within the school environment.
Comprehensive teaching materials, including multimedia resources and step-by-step guides, will be provided to support both teachers and students. These materials are designed to reinforce theoretical knowledge and practical skills. In addition to teachers, educational materials such as videos, teaching manuals, and lesson units will be provided by partners like the German Heart Foundation, ADAC, Björn Steiger Foundation, and medical chambers.
Minister President Hendrik Wüst emphasises the importance of young people learning early how to act correctly in medical emergencies. He believes that equipping a generation in NRW with the skills to save lives in an emergency will make a significant difference. Minister of Education Dorothee Feller compares CPR to riding a bike, stating that it should become second nature.
The goal of the cooperation agreement is not only to train students in performing CPR effectively but also to permanently increase the rate of layperson resuscitation. The initiative is developed in collaboration with health organizations, emergency medical services, and relevant educational authorities, ensuring up-to-date training standards and support in the implementation process.
By making resuscitation a permanent part of school life in North Rhine-Westphalia, the state government hopes to foster a culture of life-saving skills and community readiness. This rollout reflects NRW's commitment to equipping young people with essential emergency response skills, ultimately aiming to save lives.
- The German Heart Foundation, ADAC, Björn Steiger Foundation, medical chambers, and other partners will collaborate in providing educational materials on health-and-wellness, specifically mental-health, science, education-and-self-development, and learning, to supplement the CPR training in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) schools.
- In addition to learning CPR, students in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) schools will have access to learning materials that address various aspects of their overall health, including mental health, as part of the expanded initiative to promote a culture of life-saving skills and community readiness.
- The development of the collaboration agreement goes beyond just teaching students CPR effectively; it aims to permanently increase the rate of layperson resuscitation and foster a long-standing commitment to mental health, education-and-self-development, science, and wellness in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW).
