The Education Ministry held a nation-wide defense drill on Monday, meant to sharpen procedures in case of an emergency for students from elementary through high school, as well as at kindergartens.

As part of the drill, a siren was sounded throughout the country at 10:05 a.m. The drill is set to end at 12:00 noon, and is held as a joint activity with the IDF Homefront Command, the local authorities, the police, Magen David Adam (MDA), as well as fire and rescue forces.

The goal of the drill is to boost the preparedness of the Education Ministry to deal with emergency situations and effectively keep students safe.

Through the course of the drill various activities will be held. Each student and staff member will independently take shelter in a safe-room; a drill will simulate the evacuation of wounded students to a treatment area, as well as evacuation from the site by an ambulance. In addition to numerous other drills, students will train in extinguishing fires.

Following the defense drill, each school’s emergency team will hold a simulation drill starting at 1:00 p.m., in which the schools will prepare for a situation in which a rocket strikes close to the school.

Later on at 4:00 p.m., each school will practice “long distance learning,” in which students will study  via the internet in preparation for an emergency situation in which classes at the school are not held.

Education Minister Shai Piron (Yesh Atid), Education Ministry Director Michal Cohen and Homefront Commander Major General Eyal Eizenberg will take part in the drill at the Ulpana Bnei Akiva school for girls in Jerusalem’s northern neighborhood of Pisgat Ze’ev.