Ministry orders safety measures in schools

Education Minister Ahmed Al-Eissa has called on directors of education in all cities and provinces to take all necessary steps as quickly as possible to guarantee the safety and security of schools and to ensure the safety of students. He directed that reports be submitted as soon as possible.

The minister urged the provision of support to all school safety and security departments throughout the Kingdom, and stressed in his meeting on Tuesday with directors of education the importance of investing in directors at schools to oversee and coordinate with inspectors of school safety.
He called for filling the gaps with regards to administrators and directors by transferring administrators from some schools to others, as well as tasking them to coordinate school safety and security efforts.
Early last week, the minister issued a decision to establish a general department of school safety and security, to be linked administratively and organizationally to the General Supervisor of School Safety at the ministry. 
The decision also called for establishing a department of school safety in all educational departments in the Kingdom. School guards will report to these departments of education at the General Department of School Safety and Security.
The General Supervisor of School Safety and Security at the ministry, Majed Al-Harbi, said the goal was to guarantee the safety and security of school buildings, and to mitigate security risks and threats from outside and inside the school.
He said school safety divisions at the departments of education in the Kingdom would be tasked with establishing operational plans, preparing for and participating in any emergencies that might occur in schools as well as coordinating with concerned internal and external parties to take necessary steps to protect lives and assets.