The Ministry of Education held a national college student mountain climbing safety training workshop in the mountainous area near Gale Lake in Yilan County from June 26 to 30, with a total of 101 participants. Minister of Education Pan Wen-chung specially went to Yilan Elementary School today to preside over the opening ceremony. He expressed his hope that the trainees would pass on and share the practical skills they learned in self-protection, survival, and disaster avoidance with other members of their school’s mountaineering clubs.
Summer is the peak season for college students to go mountain climbing, but without proper knowledge, accidents can easily happen. Therefore, the Ministry of Education invites instructors, students, and student support personnel from college mountaineering clubs across the country to participate in the mountain climbing safety training workshop every year, aiming to enhance students’ mountaineering safety skills and reduce the occurrence of mountain accidents.
This year’s college student mountain training course is divided into two parts: specialized lectures and skill training. The content includes handling and taking shelter during typhoons, dealing with getting lost, self-rescue techniques and methods of calling for help, navigating difficult terrains, responding to falls and cliff drops, setting up emergency shelters and selecting campsites, treating common wilderness injuries, recognizing and handling altitude sickness, among others.
To simulate the composition of an actual mountaineering team, this year’s groupings differ from previous years where participants were grouped based on self-assessed ability. Instead, participants of varying skill levels are mixed together, allowing more experienced students to serve as assistant team leaders and guides. Through learning objectives set by each team’s coach, the training focuses on “how to make decisions.” On the other hand, participants are specially grouped by the region where their schools are located, making it easier for them to support each other when organizing mountain training activities at their respective schools after the training.
In addition, professional personnel such as military instructors and teachers are grouped separately this time. In addition to teaching mountain safety knowledge, they can also exchange experiences on how schools can administratively support and assist students in completing mountain safety training, achieving mutual teaching and learning.
This year’s college student mountain training held its opening ceremony today at Yilan Elementary School, and Minister Pan Wen-chung went specially to encourage the students. He stated that although no outdoor activity can be completely risk-free, education and thorough preparation are the surest ways to reduce mountain accidents. If one is equipped with the correct methods for self-rescue and calling for help, risks and unforeseen dangers and damages can be reduced, making mountain climbing safer.
(China Times)