School Work: 'Uncle', 'teacher', 'boss' – meet the security officer appreciated by children and teachers alike

SINGAPORE: A sea of young faces stream through the gates, some dragging their feet, others with a skip in their step. Most have large backpacks, others with colourful lunchboxes.

Many chirp greetings at a stout figure as they pass by him. Some call him “uncle”, while a few greet him as “teacher”.

But Mr Letchumanan Govindasamy is neither their uncle nor a teacher. The 48-year-old is a security officer at Dazhong Primary School, where he has been working since 2017, and is a familiar presence at the school gate.

One child even calls him "boss".

"All of a sudden (it started), I don’t know why. Maybe he heard somebody call me boss, maybe it was the parents," he said.

"I was shocked and then I said: 'Never mind, I don't want to (correct) him. It's okay. (When he goes home he says): Bye boss!"

"FUNNY, FUNNY THINGS"

Before he became a security officer, Mr Govindasamy worked in the mailroom of a company for about 16 years.

It was a "straightforward" job, but the company eventually outsourced his role and he did not like the terms of the new contract offered to him. 

Mr Govindasamy said he does not have much education – he only completed primary school – but he "can do anything" if the job requires only simple English. 

"(Jobs that require) higher education, I totally cannot. Especially those which involve using the computer.

"I thought that security would be more straightforward, easy to communicate, easier to work."

He was posted to Dazhong Primary, a 10-minute walk from home.

"One of the colleagues here was leaving and this place is near to my house so my company .... asked me to come here," he said. "It is convenient for me and easy to walk here."

Mr Govindasamy's 12-hour shift typically begins between 5.30am and 5.45am. He unlocks the school's main gate and back gate, sets up the traffic cordons and prepares logbooks at the security counter.

The students begin arriving at about 6.30am. Interacting with them is something Mr Govindasamy, who is a father of three, looks forward to the most.

"What I like most about my job is seeing the children every day," he said. "If they see that you look different, they will ask: 'Uncle, what happened? Why are you wearing your earrings?' These kinds of funny, funny things."

After the morning assembly, Mr Govindasamy locks the main gate and goes on his first of two daily patrols.

"I have to make sure that there are no children loitering around the school, make sure they are in class. And I will look out for any suspicious items," he said.

He is not only keeping his eyes peeled for students, but for wild animals. Snakes and monkeys have on occasion entered the school compound.

"(There was once) I saw the snake in the garden and it was moving very quickly ... I cordoned the garden area and made sure no student went in there, informed my operation manager and called ACRES," he said, referring to wildlife rescue group  Animal Concerns Research and Education Society.

Should he come across monkeys, Mr Govindasamy's standard protocol is to hit the ground with a stick to scare them away.

AN "AFFINITY" WITH THE CHILDREN

What makes Mr Govindasamy stand out is his willingness to go the extra mile for both students and teachers, said vice-principal Koh See Choon.

"He's very committed, he cares for the children," Mr Koh told CNA. "There is something special about him that creates this affinity between him and the children."

This could mean going the extra mile beyond his usual duties, and Mr Govindasamy helps out teachers, students and their families wherever he can.

He recalled one instance when a student refused to return home after school, but went to her friend's home instead. So he made an arrangement with the student's family – when the girl leaves school every day, he would call her grandmother on the phone.

"She would wait at a nearby coffee shop (for) the girl to walk over," he said.

The girl now returns home every day after school, but her grandmother still makes it a point to thank him whenever she sees him, added Mr Govindasamy.

He also tries to help out the children wherever he can.

"Sometimes they do not have enough money to eat, I also feel bad. I offer them biscuits, sometimes I give them money and the next day they will return the money," said Mr Govindasamy.

The school also has a Ministry of Education (MOE) kindergarten, and this means he often comes across crying kids who refuse to go to class. And this is where being a father himself comes in handy.

"When they were young, my kids went through the same thing," he said.

"She (my daughter) didn't want to go to school, cried and I would carry her … After a few months she was okay. (If a kid starts crying) I will calm her down … and then after that the teacher will handle."

Teachers and students show their appreciation to Mr Govindasamy in various ways.

"They (the teachers) like him a lot, sometimes they buy food for him. Generally the people like him. I’ve never heard of anybody who has anything against him," said Mr Koh.

"They buy things for me, some tokens for me as and when ... The principal bought me a T-shirt when she went overseas, she asked for my size and bought me a T-shirt as a souvenir," added Mr Govindasamy.

And this reminds him that he is appreciated.

"I feel happy because they appreciate my work, they notice my value. That’s why I am happy working with them." 

The busiest time of the day is during school dismissal in the afternoon, said Mr Govindasamy. 

With about 1,200 students and only one main gate through which they enter and leave, Mr Govindasamy is on the alert to stop students from dashing out of school.

"I have to make sure that the children safely go out and the parents don't come in, and must wait at the gate," he said.

TREATED LIKE "INVISIBLE"

Mr Govindasamy interacts with parents on a regular basis, and while the vast majority treat him with respect, he has faced a few rude ones.

"It is like we are invisible. (They) just come, walk in, don’t ask questions and just want to go in," he said.

He recalled how a parent once used a vulgar word to scold him after her child accused Mr Govindasamy of not letting him into the school.

"She was stressed and the boy was also very naughty … I explained to her that I didn’t see her son. She was angry," he said.

"Then after going to the (school) office, she came out and said sorry to me."

Mr Govindasamy also sometimes encounters parents who insist on dropping things off for their children.

School policy dictates that parents are allowed to drop off only three essential items – house keys, medication and spectacles. This is to inculcate a sense of responsibility in children and teach them to take care of their own things.

While parents are aware of this policy, they still "try their luck", vice-principal Mr Koh said.

"Sometimes they will be very demanding, then their face will change," said Mr Govindasamy. "They are concerned about the kids … we understand but (otherwise) how are we going to educate the children?

"We must be firm and calm (them) down, ask them what is the problem and to talk them about the problem," he said.

"If they still insist and are very rude, we will ask for the school management to help."

LIKE A FAMILY

While some have the impression that being a security officer is a "retirement job", Mr Govindasamy disagrees.

"A lot of people think the security job is just sitting down, chit chat and just do our own work. It’s the wrong impression. It’s 12 hours work, rain or shine – we do traffic control, we move around," he said.

But his love for those he serves is evident.

"Children are very sensitive. They can sense whether you actually care for them ... the children really know that he cares for them," Mr Koh said. "Sometimes he is a bit stern, but towards children he is very different.

"It's difficult to find security guards with this type of commitment, with the equal heart for the children and care for the children's well-being."

And what Mr Govindasamy holds dear is the relationships he has forged over the years.

"What I like the most about the job is the children, teachers and school leaders," he said. "It is like a family."