A school in China has installed the camera with facial recognition tools to monitor if students are paying attention in the classroom. The camera which is' teaching assistants' are part of school's 'Smart Classroom Behaviour Management System' so that teachers can keep an eye on their pupils with less effort. The school said that the cameras are to analyse student's facial expression to determine if they are paying attention in class or not.

The system can also measure levels of attendance by using a database of pupil's faces and name to check who all are in the classroom. It can even understand whether the child is happy, sad, angry, disappointed, neutral or surprised. In the school, three cameras have been installed above a blackboard at Hangzhou Number 11 High School in eastern China. While the cameras are currently used only in one classroom, it is expected to be installed the entire soon.

When asked about the new cameras in the classroom, a student told Hangzhou.com, "Previously when I had classes that I didn't like very much, I would be lazy and maybe take a nap on the desk or flick through other textbooks. But I don't dare be distracted since the cameras were installed in the classrooms. It's like a pair of mystery eyes are constantly watching me."

Although the school was criticised for using the device in school, the school's headmaster, Mr Ni, said she believes that the technique will improve the standard of education. He said, "Some have said it can infringe the privacy of students, but it only records students' movements, rather than filming activities in class." However, Mr Ni also plans to categorise students on the basis of their attention in class. Talking about which, he said, "And those who focus on lectures will be marked with an A, while students who let their minds wander will be marked with a B."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 19, 2018 10:32 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).