The Department of Education (DepEd) on Tuesday said it is eyeing a hybrid security framework to further enhance school safety amid the shortage of campus guards nationwide.
The framework allows for a partnership between school guards and barangay tanods, as well as police patrols.
This is in line with the directives of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to ensure the safety and well-being of learners and teachers in basic education.
In a statement, DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara said this strategy will allow shared responsibility in collaboration with law enforcement and local government units (LGUs).
“Sa pamamagitan ng ating hybrid security model, katuwang natin ang ating mga komunidad at iba pang stakeholders para masiguro natin ang isang ligtas at maayos na kapaligiran para sa bawat paaralan (Through our hybrid security model, we are partnering with the community and other stakeholders to ensure a safe and orderly environment for each school),” he said.
Under the proposed framework, the agency will prioritize the deployment of security guards to high-density campuses.
Community support will be tapped for schools with smaller populations.
In particular, small campuses with fewer than 500 learners and medium campuses with 501 to 1,000 learners, are proposed to be assigned one security guard.
During peak hours for arrival and dismissal, the said security guard will be supported by barangay tanods and Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) volunteers for gate duty.
Moreover, two security guards will be deployed for schools with 1,001 to 3,300 learners.
These guards will be backed by LGU or barangay watchmen for perimeter control, and the PTA team as support for crowd and traffic control.
Four security guards, meanwhile, will be allocated for very large campuses, composed of 3,301 to 8,500 learners, as well as extremely large campuses with 8,501 learners or more.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) will reinforce mobile patrols alongside LGU local security officers.
“Alam natin ang limitasyon sa ating pondo, kaya hindi natin puwedeng iasa sa iilang security personnel lamang ang seguridad ng buong kampus (We know the limitations of our funds, that’s why we cannot depend on a few personnel for the security of the entire campus),” Angara said.
Overall, the agency sees the role of security support forces in upholding perimeter security, traffic and crowd management, monitoring during peak learner movement hours and the immediate reporting and referral of incidents to proper authorities.
The agency, meanwhile, will roll out the hybrid framework in two phases, prioritizing large and extremely large campuses to be followed by small and medium schools.
Besides this, the framework also aims to utilize upgraded surveillance tools across public schools nationwide.
These include the procurement and utilization of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, upgraded area lighting, access control systems and scanners. (PNA)
