CCTV Cameras Intrude into Privacy of Classrooms
Navneet Sharma | 12 March 2026 | The Tribune
The CBSE and other boards require the installation of CCTV cameras in all schools, including corridors and classrooms. The rising rate of crime involving students justifies, even necessitates, this. Its aim is to keep students and staff safe and help identify those who commit crimes or show anti-social behaviour.
Surveillance technology is common in public places and is lawful. But the use of cameras in schools raises some questions. Are classrooms public or private spaces? Do students and teachers expect privacy within school precincts? Schools have restricted access: they are not fully public, like parks. When entering a school, students and staff join a community where individual rights are shaped by the broader needs of the school. Individual rights must be balanced with the community's right to a safe, orderly environment. Usually, school activities are more regulated than those at home. But teachers and students do not want their actions and conversations to be constantly monitored as it can be detrimental to the teacher-student relationship. Teachers need to be enabled to discuss sensitive issues with students…