The Department of Education’s (DepEd) Manila division is moving to speed up school entry inspections after parents raised concerns over long lines and delays caused by mandatory bag checks, a senior education official said Saturday.
Dr. Sheryll Gayola, Manila Schools Division superintendent, acknowledged that the full rollout of inspection protocols during the first week led to bottlenecks, particularly as security personnel detected numerous metal objects inside students’ bags.
“Aminado po tayo noong unang linggo na ini-implement natin ito nang buong-buo, medyo ang naging problema una noong time na yun ay marami talagang tayong na-detect na mga metal objects sa bag,” Gayola said in an interview on DZRH’s “Special on Saturday”.
Parents earlier complained that students were lining up beyond school gates, with queues stretching into nearby streets, raising both safety and logistical concerns.
In response, Gayola said the division immediately issued guidance to improve efficiency, including measuring how many students can be processed per minute to determine the number of handheld metal scanners needed, particularly in larger schools.
“Nagkaroon ng instruction na bilangin kung ilan yung kayang i-cover sa loob ng isang minuto para makatiyak na madadagdagan ng mga eskwelahan, lalo na yung malalaking paaralan yung kanilang mga handheld na metal scanner,” she said.
Gayola added that schools have also been directed to adjust queuing strategies to reduce risks for students waiting outside.
“Kailangan mag-isip ng stratehiya ang paaralan kung paano mapapapasok muna sa paaralan ang mga bata para doon isagawa ang bag search bago sila papasukin sa kanilang silid-aralan,” she said.
The policy aims to prevent long lines from forming outside school gates, which officials said could expose students to additional danger.
The tightened inspection measures come after several local government units ordered stricter, campus-wide checks of students and staff following a series of school-related violence incidents reported across the country.
