Students raise privacy fears after liberal Chinese university installs CCTV cameras in lecture halls
Officials at Sun Yat-sen University insist move is only to help improve teaching standards
A leading university in southern China is installing surveillance cameras in lecture rooms throughout the campus, prompting concerns over privacy, The Beijing News reports.
A document explaining the move, issued by the vice-chancellor’s office of Sun Yat-sen University and circulated earlier this month, said the measures aimed to “refine a teaching monitoring mechanism” and “deepen education reform and improve the quality of talent training”.
Sun Yat-sen University has four campuses – two each in Guangzhou and Zhuhai – but the report did not mention which ones would be affected.
The move is considered unusual as the university is regarded as more liberal than other colleges in Guangdong province.
Students also express fears of lack of privacy in posts on social media on Sunday morning.