Schools ‘will spy on pupils at home via webcams’
‘Big Brother’ tech to make sure kids don’t cheat tests while classes shut
SCHOOLS are to use cutting-edge technology to spy on pupils learning at home.
Teachers plan to use cameras and ‘lockdown’ software to try to stop children cheating while sitting assessment exams in their homes.
Cutting-edge facial recognition technology could even be used to scan teenagers’ faces to ensure they are who they say they are and prevent imposters sitting tests.
The extraordinary proposals have been drawn up at crisis-hit exams body the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA)
After fears of the new strain of Covid saw the Christmas holidays extended, schools across Scotland are due to restart classes tomorrow – but with the majority of pupils being taught online.
As well as creating difficulties for many parents, learning from home poses problems for teachers trying to estimate grades for pupils taking National 5s or Highers.
With exams scrapped this year, teachers’ ongoing assessment will play an unprecedented part in determining grades – but fears have been raised that remote learning may make it easier for pupils to cheat during vital tests.
Now the SQA has drawn up plans to monitor pupils taking tests in their own home to ensure they are not checking answers or searching for information online.
‘Remote invigilators’ could use cameras to see what pupils are doing and to monitor their home environment to ensure no one is helping them with the answers.
‘Lockdown software’ could be used on the pupil’s laptop or computer to prevent them from browsing the internet for information which might help them.
The SQA insists such measures needed to be introduced to protect the integrity of assessments and grades awarded.
Last night, Silkie Carlo, director of civil liberties campaign group Big Brother Watch, described it as ‘shocking and misguided stuff’. She said: ‘This is highly intrusive and unfair. Young people have been through enough. Many will understandably feel extremely nervous taking assessments while someone spies on them through a webcam.
‘Extending monitoring into children’s bedrooms destroys the sanctity of the private home.
‘Invasive surveillance worsens rather than improves conditions for young people.’
Emmanuelle Andrews, policy and campaigns officer at human rights group Liberty, said: ‘Introducing surveillance technology into children’s homes to enforce the compliance of children would create a toxic teaching environment.
‘Facial recognition is a discriminatory and intrusive technology that violates our rights, which is why Liberty is calling for a ban.’
‘Remote invigilation’, with pupil and invigilator in different places, is set to play an unprecedented role during the ongoing pandemic.
The SQA guidance for schools and other centres says remote invigilation has not previously been used much, partly because it makes meeting ‘quality assurance requirements’ difficult.
However, it explains that new technology ‘has changed this position to some extent, allowing for real-time monitoring of a candidate and their environment in a way that would not have been possible previously.
‘And now, with Covid-19, we have a situation where the traditional set-up for invigilation may be very difficult or practically impossible to arrange.’
The 11-page document says: ‘It is important that the technology supporting any model of remote invigilation is effective and – for the most part – unobtrusive.
‘A single camera view on the candidate and their immediate environment can then check that other devices and resources are not being accessed.’
It says before a remote assessment takes place, candidates should complete a checklist to try to ensure they cannot cheat. The SQA says pupils should show identification over the video link and then suggests ‘online tools that use facial recognition software – useful for high-stakes assessment where candidates are not well known to the centre’.
It also wants to ensure pupils cannot seek help or answers from someone else or online.
Staff who suspect a pupil might have been cheating are told to provide evidence, including ‘an audio-video recording’.
Scottish Conservative education spokesman Jamie Greene said: ‘Technology has a vital role to play in remote learning and if it can be used to help the workload of our overstretched teachers, then it is especially welcomed.’
An SQA spokesman said: ‘SQA has provided advice, guidance and resources to support centres in considering options around remote assessments where it is not possible to undertake traditional assessment and invigilation.’
‘Would create a toxic teaching environment’