File Photo: Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia
The Delhi government has started a pilot project to install CCTV cameras in schools.
Government authorities - including the Department of Education -- will initially monitor the cameras. Later, the plan is to provide a secure access for parents to through a mobile application, so they can keep an eye on their children.
The cameras installed in two of the three government schools of Delhi - at Mori Gate and East Vinod Nagar - were inspected by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia today.
"The government has plans to install CCTV cameras in all classrooms of all government schools... Complaints against teachers coming late or such will also be factually made on record with the help of these cameras," said Mr Sisodia, who is also the education minister.
There are 700 school buildings functional in the capital and government sources said around 70,000 CCTV cameras will be required to monitor each classroom.
But can the Delhi government really afford this massive project?
"The project is big and we are studying the expenditure and methodology of it. Once the study is completed, the government would go for a global tender for installing CCTV cameras in classrooms," Mr Sisodia said.
The students of Sarvodaya School agree. They also added that it would help maintain classroom discipline. The flipside? These cameras might affect their lighter moments, some of them pointed out.