 is deploying handheld metal detectors in all public schools as a matter of security.){kind=link}
IN WHAT looks more like a reactive preventive measure to beef up security inside the campuses, the Department of Education (DepEd) is deploying handheld metal detectors in all public schools.
For one, the use of gadgets is deemed as a superficial and temporary solution to ensure that the school community would be safe from deadly weapons like guns, knives and other possible instruments for crimes.
At best it would be used actively for the first two to three months, as an aftermath of the recent school shooting in Tacloban City, but at worst such handheld metal detectors would follow the way of those in the malls where security personnel hardly ever pay attention and use the same instrument on the handcarried items.
Besides, gadgets require recharging or replacing their batteries, a cost which DepEd might not be able to sustain.
According to DepEd, the agency would roll out nationwide such handheld metal detectors as part of the School Safety Campaign along with security audits and strengthening anti-bullying measures.
DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara on Friday announced the campaign, saying the department is moving quickly to reinforce school safety through stronger security protocols and closer coordination with local governments, law enforcement agencies, parents and communities.
“We are moving with urgency because protecting our children is our absolute priority, and as President Bongbong Marcos always emphasizes, our schools must strictly remain safe zones for learning,” Angara said.
He stressed that “we will not allow our students to be put at risk. That is why we will further strengthen our coordination with our partners and stakeholders to ensure that a tragedy like this will never happen again.”
The initiative comes after the June 22 shooting at the San Jose National High School in Tacloban City involving two students. The incident left three students dead and injured more than a dozen other individuals.
Angara visited Tacloban on June 23 to extend condolences to the victims’ families and check on the condition of the injured students and affected teachers. During the visit, he ordered the immediate implementation of stricter security protocols in schools.
Angara also convened on Friday all DepEd regional directors to ensure the immediate and uniform implementation of the new security measures nationwide.
From hereon, he said, all public schools will be equipped with handheld metal detectors. DepEd will also enforce stricter visitor management systems, regular bag inspections, the installation of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras and the strategic deployment of security personnel.
The department said school officials will undergo reorientation on the Guidelines on Ensuring a Safe and Motivating Learning Environment, the Anti-Bullying Act and existing child protection policies. Schools will also review their reporting, investigation, referral and intervention procedures.
Schools Division Offices have been directed to work closely with local police, parents and barangay officials, while DepEd is coordinating with the Philippine National Police, Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines, Liga ng mga Barangay, Department of Social Welfare and Development and Department of Health to align response protocols.
The campaign includes expanding confidential reporting channels for bullying and violence, updating emergency response protocols for lockdowns and evacuations, rolling out age-appropriate digital citizenship and online safety programs, and providing psychological first aid, counseling and psychosocial support to victims, perpetrators and witnesses of violence.
To encourage reporting, DepEd said schools will establish accessible and confidential channels for students to report bullying, violence and other protection concerns. Schools will also update their emergency response protocols for incidents involving active violence, lockdowns and evacuations.
The department is also set to introduce age-appropriate digital citizenship and online safety programs for students, parents and school personnel to address risks in the digital space.
The DepEd said victims, perpetrators and witnesses of violence will be provided with psychological first aid, counseling and psychosocial support as part of its comprehensive intervention program.
The rollout of the School Safety Campaign comes as the government moves to address a recent string of violent incidents involving minors.
The President on Thursday ordered concerned government agencies to determine the root causes of the recent cases of school-related violence after expressing alarm over the incidents.
Several other school violent incidents were reported after the Tacloban shooting such as the two stabbing incidents in Cavite, Negros Occidental and the shooting of a student who was headed home with his family coming from graduation in Davao de Oro.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government claimed it had thwarted another potential school shooting in Tolosa, Leyte, following a tip received by authorities.