From the current academic year, over 3,000 government primary and high schools in Karnataka will be brought under CCTV camera surveillance, as per a report in the New Indian Express.
Following instructions from Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, the CCTV cameras will be installed in a phased manner by the state department of primary and secondary education.
In the first step, the Department of Education (DoE) has released Rs 10 crore for installation of the cameras at over 3,000 government schools across the state.
While priority is being accorded to schools with greater number of girl students, each school will get four CCTV cameras.
The spots where the CCTC cameras are to be installed will be decided by officials at the local level and the school heads depending on strategic locations and their sensitivity.
As per reports, one camera will be installed at the entrance of the school, one will be in the playground and another in the teachers’ lobby. School authorities will be able to monitor the footage using a computer.
The Department of Public Instructions is ready with an action plan to kickstart the process after officials in the DoE had issued a government order in August.
An official told Bangalore Mirror, “Our priority is to provide a secure environment for children, especially girls in the schools. We have given the order for CCTV cameras and the amount has been sanctioned. The Department of Public Instructions has collected data from all the districts and will proceed with the work.”
A senior official of the department said that CCTVs will ensure safety of students and prevent unknown persons from entering school campuses.
"At a recent meeting with primary and secondary education department officials, the Chief Minister had said safety of children in government schools should be the top priority. He then directed the principal secretary of the department to take necessary measures to install CCTVs," said an official.
Installation of CCTV cameras in schools across the state was made mandatory in 2017, following rise in incidents of sexual harassment and abuse against school children.