Degree students will be watched over not just by their teachers in the classroom. In a move that has irked students, all colleges — government, aided and unaided — have been asked to install CCTV cameras in the classrooms within a month.
In a circular issued on Friday, M.N. Ajay Nagabhushan, Commissioner, Department of Collegiate Education (DCE), has said that the decision was taken “in the interest of students’ safety” based on the recommendations of the Karnataka State Women’s Commission. He said all college managements should treat this on “priority basis” and procure CCTV cameras by following the norms in the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement (KTTP) Act 1999.
Chairperson of the Karnataka State Commission for Women Nagalakshmi Bai said the recommendation was made to the DCE keeping in mind the safety of girl students. “The department should also specify the technical details of the camera. In many instances, we have seen owing to the poor quality of cameras, the footage is extremely blurred,” she said.
Too much surveillance?
But the move has not gone down well with the students, even those in all-girls’ colleges. “Safety, of course, is a matter of concern. But installing cameras in classrooms is no solution. This will curb the activities in the classroom and our surveillance will increase. Teachers will use the camera to monitor other activities, which affect our privacy,” said a student.
Student organisations said this was “too much” surveillance and a measure to “control” the students. “If there are complaints that girl students are being harassed, the colleges need to do much more than merely installing CCTV cameras. They need to sensitise students and improve the academic atmosphere,” said Ravinandan B.B., vice-president of All India Democratic Students Organisation (AIDSO).
However, college managements said they would obey the order. H.C. Ramanna, secretary of the Karnataka Government College Teachers’ Association, said, “Besides monitoring safety and security of students, this will also help us monitor the activity of mischievous students and keep an eye on the lecturer’s attendance,” he said. But he did make a suggestion: of taking students’ opinion before making such decisions.
A grey area in schools
Installation of CCTV cameras in school classrooms has been a grey area. While a large number of private schools have installed them in classrooms based on police guidelines, the Comprehensive Child Protection Policy (CPP), however, does not advocate CCTV cameras in classrooms. Most experts involved in drafting the CCP felt that having CCTV cameras in classrooms would create too much of “vigilance”.
