ALL city primary, middle schools and kindergartens had installed electronically controlled gates and all teachers and staff could now enter only with key cards, the city education authority said yesterday.

People visiting the school had to register at the front gate and would be allowed to enter only after their identities had been confirmed, the authority said.

Students would not need key cards to enter the schools.

Meanwhile, all schools had installed or upgraded video monitoring systems for security reasons. The videos would be regularly checked by police.

A school security team with 1,000 members was established in Bao'an District last week, aiming to protect students in the 445 primary and middle schools, kindergartens and youth activity centers in the district. Each team member was equipped with siren, helmet and pepper spray, the district education authority said.

Authorities would also launch a citywide check of school protection measures to prevent disasters caused by storms and mudslides until Friday.

"There are several schools near mountains or in low-lying areas and it could be very dangerous for students in the storm season. Although the city?s schools have never reported any injuries or deaths in storms or mudslides in recent years, we have to ensure their safety before anything happens," Guo Yurong, director general of the municipal education bureau, said.

About 1.2 million students returned for the fall semester yesterday. They included about 83,000 who were entering Grade One at primary school. Four public schools postponed opening to Sept. 15 because of construction work, the bureau said.

Source:Shenzhen Daily