The House Committee on Basic Education and Culture has urged the Department of Education (DepEd) to establish clearer security staffing standards for public schools, stressing that security guard allocations must account for entry and exit points rather than student enrollment numbers alone.
During a committee hearing, DepEd Assistant Secretary Roger Masapol presented an updated security audit showing that 43 percent of public schools currently deploy security personne, an increase from 31.7 percent recorded in previous assessments. The deployment figures encompass licensed security guards, watchmen, school volunteers and local barangay tanod.
Under DepEd’s proposed staffing plan, small schools (up to 500 students) and medium schools (501 to 1,000 students) would receive one security guard each. Large schools would be allocated two guards, while extra-large campuses would be assigned four.
However, lawmakers questioned the rationale behind the formula, noting that DepEd has yet to conduct an empirical study determining the ideal ratio of security personnel required to maintain campus safety.