Big Brother is watching you: Chinese university sets up surveillance cameras to monitor classrooms, labs ... even dormitories

A college in central China has installed a surveillance camera system to monitor every corner of classrooms, laboratories and dormitories to check on and “improve” the behaviour of staff and students, according to a newspaper report.

Wuchang University of Technology in Wuhan in Hubei province has a team of more than 100 staff monitoring the cameras, the Chutian Metropolis Daily reported.

“Offenders” such as teachers arriving late for class or leaving early; or students chatting, eating, sleeping or playing with smartphone during lessons, will face punishment, the article said.

“The system has helped us strengthen management, ensure the quality of teaching and shape good learning habits for students,” a supervisor, Sun Yi, was quoted as saying.

Another member of staff, Professor Yu Chengqing, said: “Now nobody sleeps or uses smartphones in class.”