Education

Educational facilities are Public services and facilities which include primary, secondary and third level educational facilities and institutions.

The education system is a fundamental foundation stone of social and economic development. The availability of good quality and life-long education is essential in facilitating the emergence of a knowledge-driven and innovative society and economy.

Description

Education facilities can be located within a wide variety of urban contexts, depending upon the stage/level of education which they provide; primary and secondary level schools are generally located within easy reach of large residential populations, while third level institutions are often located centrally within an urban area, or close to well connected transportation interchanges, allowing them to serve a wider population, and making them more attractive to students, graduates and employees alike.

Functions

Social

The key social functions of education facilities is in the education for children and students, as well as in the provision of employment to teachers and staff within the facilities themselves.

Economic

The primary economic function of education facilities is in the education of children and students to the optimum level, allowing them to become valuable and productive members of the workforce. Because of the personal benefits, education links heavily with economic growth due to the increasing global demand for highly skilled labour. Moreover, educational infrastructure creates jobs and income for not only its staff, but also for employees of supplying organisations (i.e. economic impact).

The economic impact of security threats is primarily crime and vandalism related (e.g. anti-social behaviour, child abduction). Crime and vandalism generate costs in anticipation of crime (e.g. locks, surveillance, etc.), as a consequence of crime (loss of/damage to property), and in response to crime (police investigation, legal system, etc.). Also security measures impose economic impact.

Mobility

The mobility associated with the different education facilities will vary significantly depending on the type of facility (and the specific age group that it is intended to serve), its location, the availability of public transportation modes and the student population.

Primary schools need good accessibility and parking options for cars, since primary school children are often brought to school by car. Older children at primary schools and secundary schools usually go to school by bicycle or public transport (bus). This also differs per country. While in the Netherlands, most children live close by school and go to school walking or cycling, in other (less densily populated) countries, children are often brought to school with dedicated school buses.

Safety

Safety functions associated with education, include the usual functions such as:

• shelter from the environment (weather)
• prevention and repression of incidents (fires, floods, air quality, etcetera)
• constructional safety (including the dynamic stresses that large crowds can exert)
• facilities to assure a timely retreat to a safe environment for the people present in case of incidents (Evacuation Management).

Security Issues

Security issues associated with educational facilities, are related to the presence of valuables, excitement, and groups of young people:

• Antisocial behaviour

Anti social behaviour can be a problem with education facilities, particularly those which are located within large residential areas; this frequently occurs as the open space (playing fields etc.) which surround them are often out of the general public’s view, and therefore may not benefit from surveillance outside of school hours. Schools also represent a unique threat environment, with the risk of child abduction (however small that risk may be) meaning that the security of the schoolchildren must be of paramount importance at all times.

• Assault
• Burglary: colleges and universities are large employers, with employees having access to expensive information technology devices, which can present an easy target for would be thieves.
• Sexual assault: is the most common violent crime on American college campuses today.
• Vandalism and Graffiti are strongly correlated with the presence of young people. Graffiti offenders are typically young and male and thus likely to be found around schools. Vandalism and break-inns are most common among junior high school studens, and become less frequent as students reach high school.

The extent to which the venues are vulnerable depend on the nature of the educational facility and the measures in place to prevent security issues arising. Elements in the nature of the event that determine its vulnerability for these security issues, are

• the occurence of crowds
• the level of excitement in or from school activities
• the age bracket of the students
• the level of education (such as university or lower vocational education)
• the target group of students (such as a school for special education for children with behavioural disorders)
• the educational schedule (such as day or night school)

Measures

The measures for each type of security issue can be found on the respective pages. There are few measures that are generally suited or unsuited to this kind of urban object, but some specific considerations can be mentioned:

• Access control and Screening

Educational facilities are generally very public, which makes measures that restrict access less suited, although there are experiments in schools in the United States with access control by placing metal detectors at the entrances. The ethics and effectiveness of this measure is subject to extensive debate.

• Controlling disinhibitors: schools should ideally be located out of range of known dispensaries of drugs or alcohol.
• Deflection: such as building blank walls, designed to be covered with graffiti.

General restrictions:

• Educational facilities are generally meant to be inviting, which makes very visible and impressive measures less suited
• Educational facilities can play an important role in directing the behaviour of students. Measures which involve rule setting and education are more suited to this environment than elsewhere.