Schools in southern China are using chip-powered “smart” school uniforms to track their students in a bid to tackle truancy and boost attendance, according to state media.
The uniforms use chips to monitor the location of students and can record their exit and entry into school, according to the tech firm behind the tracking devices.
“When students enter the school, the smart uniforms help take a photo or video of them,” explained principal Ran Ruxiang, whose elementary school in Guizhou province started rolling out smart uniforms last November.
More than half of the school’s 1,400 students were wearing the smart uniforms, he told AFP.
At least 10 schools in Guizhou and neighbouring Guangxi have adopted the technology, according to a Thursday report by the Global Times.
If students walk out of the school without permission, an automatic voice alarm will activate, the report said.
Paired with facial recognition devices installed on school doors, the smart uniforms can…
