Schools and kindergartens in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region will have to hire guards to ensure campus safety, regional authorities said Tuesday.

All primary, middle schools and kindergartens should have at least four guards by autumn 2011, according to a statement from the regional education department.

For schools with more than 200 students and those located in "complicated security environments," guards should be on duty when school opens in spring 2011 after the forthcoming winter vacation.

The guards should have licenses approved by local public security bureaux. The schools and kindergartens will be responsible for providing the guards with the necessary equipment, the statement said.

The statement came after a primary school stampede in Xinjiang's Aksu City on Nov. 29. More than 41 children were injured in the accident.

On March 22, a stampede at a primary school in the regional capital of Urumqi killed one child and injured three others.