Several tragedies inside schools have left the country shaken in the past, and as the officials and media discuss the effective ways of protecting our children, the role of school guards has always come to the fore. According to experts, the mere sight of a guard at the school gates makes the children feel secure. However, despite the important role they play, the school guards in the Kingdom are paid monthly salaries that are meager and they receive little training to carry out their tasks effectively, according to a report in Al-Riyadh Arabic newspaper. The job of a school guard not only entails securing the school gate and organizing the entry and exit of students, rather he looks after the building out of school hours. Guards are responsible for reporting to the authorities any suspicious activity or emergencies at any time of the day or night and ensure all air-conditioning units and lights are switched off out of hours. For instance, if a car is seen acting suspiciously near a school, then guards are tasked with noting down the registration plates and reporting the matter to the police. Guards are also responsible for ensuring taps are turned off in washrooms. According to some estimates, there are about 33,000 school guards in the Kingdom. Huda Al-Ayar, a female teacher, called on the authorities to increase state support for school guards. "For example, police can run patrols near schools and help control traffic. Above all, the monthly salaries of school guards should be increased," she said. A female administrative officer at a kindergarten in Riyadh, who did not want her name to be published, said there is a need to outsource this work to specialized security companies. "There should be male security guards supplied by specialized security companies to stand guard at school gates to prevent parents and others from forcing their way into schools," she said, adding that the majority of school guards are elderly and unable to perform their jobs well as they are required to multi-task. "For example, if a school guard is sent by the school principal to the local education department to run an errand, there will be no one to fill his place. This is why schools need a specialized team of security guards," she added. Abdiya Al-Amri, an administrative officer, agrees schools should appoint professional security guards and allow the existing school guards to do other administrative tasks assigned to them by school principals. "Traffic near each school should be organized. This could be the job of security guards not school guards. Female school guards are important too as they can stand guard inside schools and ensure there are no students inside after school hours. Surveillance cameras would also allow the guards to do their jobs better," she added. A group of school guards Al-Riyadh interviewed called for the authorities providing them with training to improve their skills and help them do their jobs better. They also felt encouraged by the idea of security companies helping them and called for better and larger accommodation and increased monthly salaries. They noted that most of them did not receive any training and they do not know how to handle emergencies. For example, if a fire breaks out, they do not know what to do except call the Civil Defense. If they want to help, they cannot because they have no clue how to act in such situations.
