Masaka City police are taking steps to improve the safety of students and school properties by training school guards and night watchmen. This initiative is in response to recurring security incidents, including recent fire outbreaks in schools. Charles Okello, the District Police Commander, has instructed all school administrators in the area to ensure their guards undergo mandatory training to enhance their security skills.
Last term, Masaka City witnessed two fire incidents at Kasaana Junior School and Masaka Secondary School, resulting in tragic outcomes. In light of these incidents and other security challenges, Okello emphasizes the necessity of providing additional security training to school guards to prevent similar occurrences.
Investigations revealed that many security guards lacked basic surveillance and intelligence skills, contributing to the vulnerability of schools to incidents like robberies. To address this gap, Jamada Wandera, the Greater Masaka Deputy Regional Police Commander, has designed a two-week training module covering crime detection, fire fighting, and rescue services for all school guards.
Wandera urges school administrators to send their guards to the Masaka Police Playground for refresher training. He notes that while some schools can afford to hire private security guards with basic training, others deploy untrained night watchmen, increasing the vulnerability of students.
The training programs are organized in three schedules, starting with primary school guards, followed by secondary and tertiary institutions. Stephen Kakeeto, the Masaka City Education Officer, emphasizes the consideration of making it mandatory for schools to hire skilled security guards. Failure to comply may result in restrictions on school operations.
Kakeeto mentions the Basic Requirement and Minimum Standards Indicators for Education Institutions Policy of 2009, issued by the Ministry of Education and Sports, which mandates schools to establish safety and security committees and hire trained guards to ensure the safety of learners and premises.
