New Delhi, July 22 -- The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), in a notification issued on Monday, mandated the installation of high-resolution CCTV cameras with audio-visual recording in all its affiliated schools to ensure students' safety. The new norms mandate schools to install cameras at entry and exit points, corridors, staircases, classrooms, labs, libraries, canteens, playgrounds, and other common areas, excluding toilets and washrooms, with real-time audio-visual recording and a minimum 15-day storage backup, "which may be accessed by the authorities, if required". CBSE secretary Himanshu Gupta said in the notification, "All the affiliated schools shall strictly adhere to this provision in letter and spirit for the safety of school children." He said that data on how many schools installed CCTV will be collected after a month. The board announced an amendment to its Affiliation Bye Laws-2018, which governs school affiliation, and included a new clause on CCTV to strengthen students' safety in schools in the revised chapter on physical infrastructure. The move aligns with the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR)'s 'Manual on Safety and Security of Children in Schools' released in September 2021, which calls for CCTV in schools that "needs to be monitored and maintained regularly". "It is very important that schools should have adequate safety features and hence we have asked schools to install CCTV. As far as compliance is concerned, we expect that schools will immediately do it. We hope that all our affiliated schools will comply with the norms within a month. We will collect the data on how many schools installed CCTV after one month," CBSE secretary Himanshu Gupta added. School principals supported CBSE's mandate but emphasised the need for regular equipment maintenance to ensure effective implementation....