Advantages And Disadvantages Of Installing CCTVs On Your School Campus (6D Chui Chak Lung, 17-18)

日期: 01/07/2018

    Recently, our school has discovered that some of the belongings of the students were stolen in the school.  In this situation, our school is planning on installing several CCTVs in the school campus.  This raises a big concern among not only students but also teachers.  I will discuss and express my point of view in this matter.

    The matter of missing personal property has created an atmosphere of mistrust that is spreading across the campus.  People are making guesses of who the thief might be and negatively affecting relationships.  Installing CCTVs in certain places can definitely reduce this kind of criminal activities from happening.  The CCTVs can be placed in the areas where students store their stuff, for instance, classroom, lockers and so on.  If each classroom is equipped with one camera it can protect the students’ belongings.  Everyone can watch the recording from the camera’s tape when something happens.  So, the thief will not be able to steal things from under people’s noses.  Thus, installing CCTVs in some places can be an effective deterrent against thieves.

    Apart from these advantages, students’ safety can also be assured with teachers’ supervision.  Some students in our school do some dangerous things when they are playing.  In this respect, teachers will be able to stop them before the students get really crazy.  Our school can arrange for a couple of teachers to be on duty and watch the students through the live streaming of the CCTVs.  It can also help with discipline matters.  When a student violates the school rules, his or her behaviour will be recorded.  Therefore, school rules can be effectively enforced, both in the long and short terms.

    However, as we all know installing CCTVs will also violate the students’ privacy.  Every action of the students will be recorded under the camera lens and they will have no privacy.  They have to be aware of how they are behaving and this can be extremely annoying for them.  Can you imagine your every move being watched all day?  It will create a great deal of pressure for everyone.  Princess Diana is a good example.  Under such intense scrutiny, students’ mental states at school may be affected.

    Other than that, it is very expensive to install CCTVs in our school.  After researching in the internet, I found that the cost of one camera alone can run into several thousand dollars.  It costs even more with the software.  I believe that it is not easy to buy all the CCTVs the school needs without financial support.  Therefore, it is quite controversial whether the installation is worth it.

    I personally support it.  Our school and the students can benefit in various ways.  However, our school should carefully consider the placement of the CCTVs.  If they can have CCTVs without violating the privacy of students, I think it will definitely have a positive impact on us.