The Asian Age

‘ Explain why CCTVs needed in classrooms’

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New Delhi, July 11: The Delhi high court on Wednesday asked the government to explain the reasons and circumstan­ces behind its proposal to install over 1.4 lakh CCTV cameras inside classrooms in state- run schools.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C. Hari Shankar said while there may be a security aspect behind the proposal, such a move “might stifle initiative” of the children in classroom.

Observing that children have a right to privacy, the court wondered as to how much of it would apply to a classroom. It also said in some cases monitoring and scrutinisi­ng of the teaching imparted may be required.

The court asked the government to file a status report explaining the reasons behind the decision to install CCTVs cameras in classrooms as well as the exercises, if any, undertaken for it.

The Delhi government, represente­d by Additional Standing Counsel Sanjoy Ghosh, was directed to spell out its stand before August 21, the next date of hearing.

Mr Ghosh had argued that schools in most of the first- world countries have cameras inside classrooms and school campus for safety reasons.

He referred to a recent ‘ selfie with teachers’ initiative in the government schools in some districts of UP and Uttarakhan­d to curb absenteeis­m by teachers. Advocate J. Dehadrai, appearing for the petitioner, told the court it wasn’t healthy to have cameras inside classrooms.

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