Only big schools to get security guards for now
Education Secretary Edgardo “Sonny” Angara said on Wednesday they would prioritize bigger schools in the deployment and hiring of security guards. “We don’t have the funds to assign security guards at all schools,” he told reporters.
“Because we’ve noticed that most incidents of violence take place in very large schools, meaning over 1,000 to 1,500 students, that’s where we’ll start.”
Last month, the Department of Education (DepEd) said it would be seeking approval from Congress to allot P8 billion for the hiring of security guards in schools nationwide, noting that only 31.7 percent of public schools have guards.
As for smaller schools, Angara said DepEd would look into mobilizing barangay watchmen (tanod) and the procurement of metal detectors.
“That we can do. A metal detector only costs a few thousand pesos, so we can give metal detectors to almost all schools in the country,” he said.
Security in schools has become a concern after a school shooting in Tacloban City in June that left three students dead.
