Safety is part of new curriculum

BEIJING - Schools across the nation are scrambling to hire security guards following a string of violent attacks on children in recent weeks.

In Beijing, a special team of 800 security guards - clad in helmets and protective vests and equipped with truncheons and tear gas - started work on Wednesday.

"All the guards have been given strict training, and a special management team has been set up to give guidance and check their performance," said Ma Xuguang, a director of Beijing Security Service General Company.