Uproar over CCTV monitoring in schools
TEACHERS at Nkulumane High School in Bulawayo are fretting over a proposal to install closed circuit television (CCTV) in the school’s staffroom and classrooms to monitor their conduct and performance.
Most Bulawayo schools have adopted the biometric clocking system for teachers to promote accountability at the institutions.
Founders, Mandwande and Nkulumane high schools are some of the schools which have installed the biometric system, with the latter now installing CCTVs.
With the biometric system, teachers have their fingerprints scanned to register when they report for work and when they knock off. The system prevents teachers from logging in and out on behalf of colleagues.
Nkulumane High School teachers who spoke to The Chronicle yesterday said they were not amused by the decision as they felt it would infringe on their rights to privacy
“Why do they want to make our life difficult? We are not bank tellers. We need our privacy and we have to exercise our freedom when in class,” said a teacher.
Another said while they had accepted the bio-metric system they wouldn’t allow the school to install the CCTVs.
“It’s like you are in prison. It doesn’t feel good to know that you are being watched by your superiors or they are listening to you. What wrong have we done to deserve this?” one teacher asked.The teachers said the school authorities had secretly decided to install cameras in classrooms without their knowledge.
“We discovered cameras would be installed when people came to classrooms to take measurements and decide where they would be positioned,” said a staff member.Some parents supported the move saying it would bring order and accountability among pupils and teachers.
The company which installed the biometric system had reportedly been contracted to install the CCTVs.
“We have pupils and teachers who spend time on WhatsApp instead of going through the actual business of the day. CCTVs will enable the school authorities to monitor such. We have also heard issues of pupils who take alcohol in class, this would help them,” said a parent.
A comment could not be obtained from the school’s headmistress, Mrs Monica Ncube.
Primary and Secondary Education Permanent Secretary Dr Sylvia Utete-Masango defended the move saying it could have more positives than negatives.
“We are in the era of technology and we don’t know where this technology is getting us to. People are always resisting change. Anyway we are saying we have to embrace technology. I can give you an example of some headmasters who were refusing to take teachers’ plan books saying ‘I don’t want a typed plan book, I want to see your hand-writing.’ That is resistance to change,” said Dr Utete-Masango.She said there was a good reason why the school was installing such gadgets.
“There’s no way a school can install such expensive gadgets just to monitor teachers. That could be seen as a waste of money but if the teachers are spending time on WhatsApp, they deserve to be monitored because they are cheating Zimbabweans. To me there are more positives than negatives,” said Dr Utete-Masango.
Bulawayo Acting Provincial Education Director Mrs Olicah Kaira said Nkulumane was among the schools which had installed biometric system and it was for the good.
“What I know is that the school has installed biometric systems together with two other schools but I’m not sure about the CCTV. I was not aware of that and I will investigate the matter,” said Mrs Kaira.
In some European countries the installation of CCTVs has been promoted to fight bullying, theft, vandalism and sexual abuse.
Auxilia Katongomara
