While lockdown drills and anti-terrorist activities are commonplace in schools in China, that they now come to kindergartens is an ominous indication of the kind of society we live in today. A remote kindergarten in Nanjing is preparing for the worst.
“Don’t be afraid when the bad guys come!”, was the motto Gucheng Kindergarten used in their recent anti-terrorist exercise. The intention was to prevent sudden injuries and improve the ability of all teaching staff to cope with violent incidents.
Located in Gaochun District of Nanjing, the kindergarten invited the district’s Special Police Patrol Brigade to get things going.
Before the activity, each class carried out a safety education activity to help children accumulate the relevant knowledge and experience. Secret service members demonstrated the use of campus security equipment and explained safety protection essentials.
Children were shown exercises using police shields, while riot team members acted as criminals to fight with the special police. Through the drill, preschoolers learned firsthand how dangerous emergencies are dealt with, reported the Yangtze Evening News on 12 April.
Incidents of fully-blown terrorism in China are thankfully incredibly rare. However, there are many other dangerous possibilities that exist for kindergartens. Perhaps the biggest potential threat comes from disgruntled employees.
Such crimes by former employees are relatively common as acts of revenge, while others may have a grudge against society and the State as a whole.
In 2017, as many as eight people died and 65 were injured in an explosion outside a kindergarten in Jiangsu’s northern city of Xuzhou. As this publication reported, gas cylinders were the cause of the blast that took place at 16.50 on 15 June. At this time, children were existing the school to their waiting parents and grandparents. Within hours, police had targeted a suspect.
Building an awareness of such potential dangers is what the recent activity in Gucheng Kindergarten was all about.
The Nanjinger spoke with Shirley Xue, Principal at Laureate Kindergarten in Xianlin about such anti-terrorist activities in preschools. “I think it’s a good idea. [Our school] also has a similar anti-terrorist drill scheduled this term”, she said.
“The drill is necessary for kids, not only for high-school students, as preschoolers are at the stage of exploring the world. Around 5-6 years old, their cognitive development enables them to stretch their understanding towards the community around them. Children learn from real-life through exploration. The global trend is also considered as part of the community that we live in, and it is real.”
