No to CCTV cameras in Kerala schools, but are children safe?

Kerala's higher secondary director PK Sudheer Babu, IAS, on 12 July,  said that schools should remove monitoring cameras in classrooms. At a school in Thiruvananthapuram district, the parents recently protested against installing the camera in the classroom.

The decision of the director comes in the aftermath of this incident. The Human Rights Commission has ruled against installing cameras in classrooms of educational institutions. The director said that strict action will be taken against the schools and principals if they don't adhere to the rules.

"My friends and I get conscious when the CCTV camera is present inside the classroom. My friends and I are even scared to talk in the class. According to me, there are places in the city where there is no security. And CCTVs must be installed there and not in a classroom," said Alka K, a student from Thiruvananthapuram. 

Students are even scared to talk to their classmates. 15-year-old Alka questions why children must be kept under scrutiny in schools. The entire concept of CCTVs in school classrooms emerged as a solution to avert students' murder or abuse inside classrooms. And the country did reportedly witness a spate of such incidents.

"I don't think classrooms should have a CCTV camera. For me, school was my second home. My daughter too echoes the same sentiment now. Teachers and other authorities should take care of children because we are paying for the education as well as their safety. During class time, what mischief will the students be upto in classrooms? When children get some free time, let them enjoy their freedom," Sindu Madhusudhan, a parent from Thiruvananthapuram.

Sindu also wondered why schools installed these surveillance cameras without intimating parents or students. However, are educational institutions really a safe haven for children?

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