In Cherkasy region, 24 schools receive equipment that identifies faces and controls mask mandate

In the Cherkasy region, 24 innovative schools have received special equipment that allows them to identify faces, control the mask mandate and prevent people with fever from entering the premises.

The Head of the Regional Department of Education and Science of the Cherkasy regional state administration Valerii Danilevskyi announced this, Ukrinform reports.

He explained that "Safe School" was a component of the regional program for the development of innovative schools.

"The program was introduced 10 years ago. It included 29 schools in the Cherkasy region that received the most advanced equipment. At the last stage, they proposed to introduce a Safe School system. Of the 29 schools, 24 agreed to receive the equipment. 50% were financed on a parity basis with the regional budget, 50% with local," Danilevskyi stated.

Thus, in gymnasium №9, each visitor to the school should be identified by an electronic device before entering the premises. If an outsider tries to enter the school, the system notifies the security guards.

According to the director of the gymnasium Iryna Topchii, the safety of the school and children is a priority for the state.

"At first, we bought cameras at the expense of parents. Now the school has almost no so-called blind spots, and except for toilets, wardrobes, and the classrooms, we can see the entire school. Later we hired a security organization. Recently Cherkasy regional council bought our school an electronic system 'New Knowledge.' At the entrance, there is a scanner that scans the face in a mask, measures body temperature, and immediately signals if someone from the outside tries to enter the place," said Topchii.

She noted that the project had been implemented in senior classes so far, but a similar entry system is being prepared for junior students.

The school has its server, which includes photos of children, teachers, and other staff.

"We always know who is at school, who went out. Phone thefts have almost disappeared. Because often a child reports the theft, although in reality he just forgets the phone. It's all visible on camera," Topchii said.

She noted that with the help of the video surveillance system they identified a woman who entered the school through the entrance of the junior classes, stole a laptop, and ran away. However, the camera recorded everything, and later the police found a fraudster.

Borys Khovriak, a computer science teacher at the school, said that at first there were some inconsistencies, but later the process improved.

"We photographed each student and employee and added a photo to the general database. At first, there were some nuances: high school girls were photographed in makeup, and went to school without it. Later they had to be photographed again. If someone unidentified tries to come in, the system will report it. Security will react immediately," Khovriak said.

Danilevskyi says that the "Safe School" system was introduced only in the Cherkasy region, and its idea was invented in one of the Kharkiv schools.