As schools across the Philippines confront growing concerns over shootings, fires, and earthquakes, a team of junior high school students from the Philippine Science High School – Caraga campus has developed a digital platform designed to help schools account for every student during an emergency.
The platform, called Ligtas Skwela, won first place in the Student Category of the Startup Technology Pitching Competition during the Regional Science, Technology and Innovation Week (RSTW) in Caraga held in Butuan City from August 27 to 29. The innovation stood out among nine finalists for offering a technology-driven solution to one of the country’s most pressing school safety challenges.
Ligtas Skwela is a subscription-based emergency management platform that connects teachers, school administrators, and emergency responders through a centralized system during critical incidents. It is designed for emergencies such as fires, earthquakes, and firearm-related incidents, allowing schools to monitor classroom conditions and account for students in real time.
The project was prompted by recent emergencies reported in schools across the country, including shooting incidents that raised concerns about how quickly schools can locate and account for students during a crisis.
“With the recent happenings in Ateneo De Zamboanga or other school shootings or maybe earthquakes or fire, we’ve noticed that sometimes in the system, they tend to not focus on the students and where they are in school. And so, while we were worrying about that, we were trying to find a solution where students can be easily accessed and they can easily be found,” said Lorenzo Pariñas, who handled the project’s Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud storage component.
Project leader Kush Shekar said the platform operates in two modes: Commander Mode and Teacher Mode.
In Commander Mode, school officials can monitor every classroom through a single dashboard. The system displays the status of classrooms, teachers, and students, including whether a room is secure or if medical assistance is needed. It also includes event logs that provide real-time updates on developments during an emergency.
“It is split into two modes. There is teacher mode and commander mode. In commander mode, you’re able to see all the classrooms, all the teachers managing them and their status. So, if a room is secure or people in need of medical aid, you can see all kinds of status. There’s also event logs where you can see what’s happening,” Shekar said.
Teacher Mode, meanwhile, allows faculty members to report the status of their class directly through the platform. Instead of relying on headcounts alone, the system records the names of individual students, enabling administrators to immediately identify who is missing or still unaccounted for during an evacuation or lockdown.
The team said the current version of Ligtas Skwela is fully functional and has been tested within the Philippine Science High School – Caraga campus, although it remains in the development stage.
“Currently, the website is working, the platform is working, it’s all functional but we’ve only tested it so far in our campus. For now, we plan to expand it further since it’s still in the development stage,” said Vic Andrei Hernando, the team’s market research head.
The students are also working on an offline version of the platform to ensure it remains usable even if internet connectivity is disrupted during disasters or emergencies.
Once ready for deployment, the team projects a subscription cost of ₱30,000 per 1,000 students annually, equivalent to about ₱30 per student per year based on its current cost estimates.
Hernando said future versions of the platform will include hardware integration, such as dedicated emergency buttons that can quickly trigger alarms and simplify emergency drills and response procedures across school campuses. The team is also preparing to apply for a patent to protect the technology.
The project was developed under the guidance of mentor Engr. Lyndon Bermoy, who coached the students throughout the competition.
“Of course, nagpapasalamat ako sa kanilang tatlo, for being the best students that they are already. Pinractice ko silang mabuti sa pitching kasi first time nilang mag pitch, at first time nilang sumali sa ganito,” Bermoy said.
Shekar, Pariñas, and Hernando were the only high school students to reach the finals of the regional technology pitching competition. Entries were evaluated based on relevance, originality, artificial intelligence integration, business viability, potential impact, and prototype functionality.
RSTW is an annual celebration organized by the Department of Science and Technology’s regional offices to showcase research, innovations, and science-based solutions that address local challenges and promote inclusive and resilient development. The regional event serves as a lead-up to the National Science, Technology and Innovation Week, which will be held in General Santos City in November this year.
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