Improve School Safety With Government Subsidies

• • Trespassing on School Property – Strategies and Issues
  • Differences in school safety by region and country
  • Managing Visitors Remotely with a Smartphone
  • Utilizing ICT in Schools
  • Utilizing Government Subsidies to Reduce Costs
  • What kind of system would be suitable for schools?

The possibility of intrusion or assault by suspicious persons in children’s facilities (schools, kindergartens, nursery schools, etc.) is a potential risk in any community. Schools play a very important role as a safe place for children to learn and grow, and school security measures have become increasingly important in recent years to protect the safety of children and teachers and to create a safe and relaxed learning environment.

In order to prevent suspicious persons from entering schools, it is necessary to “always lock the school gates except when students are entering or leaving the school” and “thorough visitor management”. However, as security measures are strengthened, workloads and labor costs will increase accordingly. Schools want to achieve the following points in addressing and reinforcing measures against school break-ins:

☑ Check in school visitors and unlock the doors efficiently and safely.

☑ Be able to check in school visitors even when staff is not available.

☑ Minimize equipment and installation costs.

AIPHONE’s IP Intercom IX series achieves all of these, allowing you to check who has come to school and unlock entrances remotely and smoothly, at low cost.

While each country and region has its own unique approach to school security, security guards are the most common option in many countries, including that of Southeast Asia. In addition to security guards, for busy and crowded places like schools that have multiple entrances, building a comprehensive surveillance system with security cameras, access control, and intercoms, is an ideal measure to keep the children safe.

Moreover, it’s worth noting that product specifications are also influenced by country and region. In Southeast Asian countries, it is important to have equipment that can withstand heavy rainfall, such as squalls, as well as hot and humid environments, while in Northern Europe, it is important to get durable equipment that can withstand snow and low temperatures in order to maintain the same level of security. AIPHONE’s IX series provides highly durable devices for outdoor use that can withstand extreme temperatures ranging from -40℃ to 60℃ (-40℉ to 140℉).

“When you have a visitor at the locked school gate…”

It takes time to answer the door in person whenever you have a guest, and even if there is an audio-intercom, it can be difficult to find out if there is anything suspicious through a phone.

With AIPHONE’s IP-based intercom such as the IX series, the image of the visitors at the school gate will be shown on the intercom monitor in the staff room from a distance. After verifying the visitors’ identity, the gates can be unlocked remotely through the intercom system. You can also review the recorded images at a later time.

If the system is linked to a network camera, not only the visitor’s face captured by the front door camera on the intercom, but also a wide-area image of the surrounding area captured by the network camera can be checked on the intercom monitor in the staff room.

This seamless integration of intercom system and network camera can further improve school security by eliminating all possible blind spots, and the staff will notice if there are any suspicious persons in the nearby area.

Another important feature is that when there is nobody in the staff room, faculty members can answer the door remotely with a smartphone or tablet. Even when they are outside, such as on the school grounds, they can check the video and unlock the doors on the spot without having to keep visitors waiting. *1

*1: The network camera image cannot be checked with smartphones.

Due in part to the spread of coronavirus, efforts to realize a new educational environment by developing a high-speed network within the school and the need for online-based classes have increased, and the development of ICT in education is spreading worldwide.

One of the attractive features of IP-based intercoms (such as AIPHONE’s IX series) is that they can be integrated into the current or soon-to-be-installed school networks, smartphones, and tablets. *2

It is very easy to connect the intercoms to your devices. With one single LAN cable connected to the school LAN, additional devices can be connected anytime. Since it doesn’t need a server and there are no restrictions on the number of devices connected or the distance between them, it is ideal for schools with large campuses.

*2: Please check your network environment and devices for actual application compatibility.

We have cases of government subsidies being provided to schools to strengthen safety measures and crime prevention.

In Japan, for example, MEXT(the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology) has rolled out a strategy to strengthen support for safety measures in response to the frequent incidents of school break-ins. The government subsidy to promote the installation of anti-intrusion equipment such as automatic locks, security cameras, and emergency alarm systems has been increased, and the eligibility criteria for subsidies have also been expanded. AIPHONE’s intercoms, including the IX series which can identify school visitors and control automatic door locks, are covered by the subsidy program in Japan.

We recommend checking your country’s government subsidy policy as your case may be eligible.

For example, for places like schools where the entrance gate is far away from the school building, an intercom with a long wiring distance would be ideal. Also, if you want to ensure communication through video and audio between multiple facilities such as staff rooms, classrooms, and gyms that are located far apart on the premises, a system that can connect a large number of devices would be your best choice.

With the help of such a strong security system and intercoms that are tailored to school settings, even a small number of security guards will be enough to prevent intruders and monitor every corner of the educational facility’s grounds to ensure the safety of children.

This time, we have introduced our recommended IP-based intercoms for enhancing security at school gates and faculty/staff entrances. AIPHONE, along with its subsidiary companies in the United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore, France, and the United States, as well as authorized distributors in 70+ countries worldwide, including Sweden, Indonesia, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, and India, will continue to contribute to the safety enhancement of educational institutions worldwide. Whether it’s for kindergartens, nurseries, elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, or universities/colleges, AIPHONE can accommodate systems of various sizes to meet your specific needs. Please feel free to consult with us.