Help me! China school installs toilet alarms to tackle bullying as campus violence problem persists
- Voice-activated system is triggered by victim yelling key words
- String of high-profile incidents raises public awareness about bullying problem
A school in China has won plaudits for installing an extensive alarm system – including in its toilets – to prevent bullying.
The Aofeng School in Fujian province in southeastern China said in March that the pilot system targeted the toilets specifically because administrators knew that was where a lot of bullying took place.
The school has students at both primary and secondary level.
According to a demonstration video, students who feel threatened can shout trigger words, such as “help” or “I’m being beaten,” which will alert devices placed around the premises that someone is in danger.
The devices notify teachers on their computers, and they can use an app on their phone to speak to the students via a speaker at the location.
A “surveillance” feature allows teachers to use cameras to monitor what is happening where the device is installed.
The hope is that the system will enable teachers to react immediately, said the school’s headmaster, Guo Bojing.
Guo said the device could “effectively enhance the school’s capacity to prevent and deal with school bullying”.
The system is still being tested because teachers want to ensure it cannot be abused by students trying to prank staff by randomly yelling out trigger words.
The apparatus does not alert the police, so teachers still need to contact authorities if a case of bullying becomes serious.
A string of recent vicious bullying cases has raised public awareness about the need to find a solution to the problem.
In March, a secondary school girl in southeastern Fujian province committed suicide after suffering constant bullying from her classmates.
After her death, her mother discovered that her daughter had transferred money to at least two bullies many times.
Also in March, a secondary school boy was beaten by two senior students in a toilet on campus. Another student filmed the violence and posted it online, saying he thought the clip would help the victim because the bullies had “beat him too hard.”
According to a 2019 Unesco report on school violence, almost one in three students worldwide had been bullied by their peers at school.
A research group from the Central China Normal University surveyed 10,000 students from 130 primary and secondary schools in six provinces between 2019 and 2020 and discovered that 12.7 per cent of students reported physical bullying, 17.4 per cent verbal and 6.8 per cent of the cyber variety.
Sun Jinlu, an assistant professor at Beihang University’s School of Public Administration in Beijing, said it is important for parents and schools to pay attention to signs of problems in school because bullied children might lack the courage to seek help.
Online, people praised the Fujian school.
“The alarm system is great. It should be promoted nationwide,” said one person on Weibo.
Another said the device did not address the core issue: “School bullying can only be stopped with proper legal punishment for the bullies.”
A third agreed with the idea but added: “Every step towards the elimination of school bullying should be applauded.”
