Smart Surveillance in Schools: Govt Deploys CCTV to Tackle Bullying

To build a safe campus free from bullying and eve-teasing, the government is installing high-tech CCTV cameras in 517 secondary-level educational institutions across the country. Of these, 362 are secondary schools and 155 are madrasas.

The initiative has been undertaken on a pilot basis under the “Learning Acceleration in Secondary Education (LASE)” project of the Ministry of Education, financed by a loan from the World Bank. The project is scheduled to continue until September 2028.

If the pilot initiative proves successful, the government plans to gradually bring other educational institutions across the country under CCTV surveillance.

This information was revealed in a letter from the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) on Wednesday (29 April). According to the letter, on 27 April, the Ministry of Education approved the “Educational Institution Selection Guidelines, 2025” and instructed Deputy Commissioners to take necessary measures.

Under the ministry’s guidelines, several strict criteria have been set for selecting institutions. To be eligible for CCTV installation, an institution must be either government-run or MPO-listed private. Only those institutions that do not already have CCTV systems and have uninterrupted electricity supply will qualify. Additionally, institutions with a history of bullying or eve-teasing incidents and those lacking boundary walls (unsecured premises) will be given priority.

According to the project provisions, 16 CCTV cameras will be installed in each selected institution—10 in classrooms and 6 in the institution’s premises. These will be monitored round the clock. However, institutions operated under the Railway, City Corporation, or Cantonment Board will not be included in the project.

Regarding the selection process, the guidelines state that at the Upazila level, a three-member local committee led by the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO), and in metropolitan areas, a committee led by the Additional Deputy Commissioner (Education), will select eligible institutions. These committees will choose one school or madrasa per upazila or thana list and submit it to the office within the next few days.

Sources at the Ministry of Education said that one educational institution from each upazila and thanas in metropolitan areas will be brought under this project. The main objective of the program is to prevent incidents such as bullying, ragging, and eve-teasing in educational institutions and to create a safe, student-friendly environment under digital surveillance.

DBTech/NHT/MUIM/OR