Guizhou Guanyu Technology is a local company that has provided smart uniforms to eleven schools in the Chinese province of Guizhou. The smart uniforms are micro-chipped and are capable of tracking and monitoring the students even when they have left the school grounds.
The smart uniforms come with two microchips that have been incorporated into the shoulder pads of the uniform. School and the children’s parents can monitor the activity of the children at all times. The uniform by Guizhou Guanyu Technology, a local company, has also included a GPS system that helps track the movement of the children and informs both parents and teachers whenever a student goes out of the classroom or school grounds without getting permission. They are also notified if the student falls asleep during classes. Furthermore, these smart uniforms also allow the parents to keep a check on the purchases at school and also set an expenditure limit by using a mobile app.
Guizhou Guanyu Technology said that the new uniforms from the company are designed to focus on safety issues while providing a smart management method that has something to offer to all of the involved parties; parents, teachers, and students. The uniforms, however, have received some criticism from the general public. Many of the Internet users have raised the question about human rights and privacy.
Guizhou Guanyu Technology responds to this criticism by stating that the company ‘respects and protects human rights’ and the uniforms do not track students 24/7. However, Lin Zongwu – principal of one of the schools that have incorporated the new uniform into the school – said that the schools were able to track the students all of the time. He also said that the school was using the technology sparingly. Lin said, ‘We choose not to check the accurate location of students after school, but when the student is missing and skipping classes, the uniforms help locate them.’
The smart uniforms have been introduced as part of China’s ‘smart campus’ initiative that is aimed at digitalizing the education in the country. Each uniform is used by its rightful owner only thanks to the installed facial recognition systems in the uniform. Do let us know what you think of this latest invention!