The effort to improve teaching standards has paved the way for cameras in the classroom.

Over the past few months, several city schools have installed closed-circuit cameras, primarily to monitor the performance of teachers. The surveillance gadgets, installed at strategic positions in the classrooms, also record audio.

“With every action in a classroom being recorded, it is easier for us to maintain academic standards and discipline,” said Samit Ray, director, Adamas International School in Belghoria. The footage is used to analyse the teachers’ performance and bring to book errant students, explained school officials.

The recordings also come in handy in countering complaints. “Sometimes, parents allege that the teachers are not paying attention to their wards in class. The footage helps us clear their doubts,” said a spokesperson for Kendriya Vidyalaya in Salt Lake.

While the schools are gung-ho about the development, some teachers have not taken well to classroom cameras. “The integrity of the teachers is being questioned. Cameras will rob classroom interaction of its spontaneity,” stated Debolina Sen, senior teacher in a central Calcutta school.

The manufacturers of the surveillance cameras aren’t complaining, though. “Till a few years ago, the cameras were only installed in banks, malls and some IT companies. Now, we are receiving orders from schools and colleges. We have installed cameras in Kendriya Vidyalaya in Ballygunge and Salt Lake and Marine Engineering and Research Institute,” said Rajesh Bhutoria of Dinesh Enterprise Private Limited.