National Parent-Teacher Associations Consultative Council (PIBGN) Chairman Prof Mohamad Ali Hassan said it was certainly an idea worth looking into.
The only question was whether schools had the funds to hire the ex-servicemen, who were highly trained and skilled, he said.
“The security companies hiring ex-servicemen may want to charge higher rates for such security personnel.”
He was commenting on recent news reports mooted by a local security company to hire army veterans to look after schools.
Ali also wondered whether schools needed security guards of such high calibre as it may be better for these ex-servicemen to be employed where their skills and expertise were truly needed.
He said these ex-servicemen could be hired as trainers and consultants rather than as mere security guards.
“The relevant ministries can come up with a system where the ex-servicemen can train and retrain security guards to help improve security standards.”
He said these ex-servicemen could also be used to train guards at shopping malls and hospitals.
Parent Action Group for Education (PAGE) Chairman Noor Azimah Rahim also said cost was a big factor to consider.
“The education ministry’s budget has seen cuts, so there may not be any more to go around,” she told FMT.
She said that in the first series of the Auditor-General’s Report 2015, it was noted that the overall management of security services at 59 schools audited last year was unsatisfactory.
Azimah also said not all schools required tight security which the ex-servicemen could provide.
She believed it would be good to have ex-servicemen on duty at schools that really needed greater security.
Recently, The Star reported Viper Force Sdn Bhd CEO Mohd Rashid Musa as saying the company would discuss the possibility of engaging army veterans to help guard schools.
Rashid said there was a ready pool of armed forces veterans who could serve as guards.
He added that the highly trained ex-servicemen were also capable of providing overall security, including feeding relevant authorities with information to facilitate quick action.