CCTVs IN SCHOOL TOILET: Parents angered by tasteless move

A mere two months after SK Seri Pristana was embroiled in the infamous "toilet canteen" controversy, another school has outraged parents, this time by installing closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in both male and female toilets.

While SMK Seri Sentosa installed the 64 CCTVs costing RM100,000 in March, three months before it received approval from the Education Ministry, some parents only got to know about it today.

They were also incensed by the fact that they never received consent letters allegedly sent out by the school in June to seek their approval over the cameras.

Calling the move "tasteless", they were shocked that videos of their children were being recorded without their consent.

They said they would have objected had they known about the CCTVs, adding that they would decide today on the next course of action.

"It is fundamentally wrong to install CCTVs in toilets, no matter what the reason," said a parent who declined to be identified.

He said despite the school's good intentions in fighting gangsterism, cheating in examinations, cutting of classes and vandalism in toilets by installing the cameras, there were grey areas especially involving the invasion of privacy of students.

Another parent said there was a petition taken up by parents to object to the installation of CCTVs, but this was eventually defeated after the ministry's green light.

Of the four parents interviewed, only one had heard about the CCVTs through word of mouth.

SMK Seri Sentosa headmistress Hajah Rahmah Abd Haji said letters of consent had been sent to parents of all 2,100 students and that initially, only 30% of parents reacted negatively.

According to her, that 30% had since changed their minds after hearing the school's explanation on the need for the CCTVs.

"The CCTVs were installed because the school had to deal with many cases of vandalism, students cutting class, gang fights, and cheating during exams," she said.

She added that the CCTVs only point in one direction – towards the sinks – and cannot be moved to face the toilet cubicles. They are also too high up for students to vandalise.

"Students no longer loiter in the toilets like before," she said, adding that she was the only one with access to the CCTV videos which are viewed whenever she receives a complaint from the discipline teachers.

She said the school had to spend RM90,000 over the past three years on repairs to damage of school facilities by students, including graffiti and breakeage of sinks and doors.

"The cost was too much for us and the parent-teacher association to bear, so the PTA ended up suggesting for CCTVs to be installed," she said.

Rahmah said the CCTVs had worked in improving discipline among students.

She said teachers were less stressed out now "and I can also focus on issues more important than vandalism".

The Sundaily