Punjab has started using artificial intelligence (AI) to help identify children who may be working instead of going to school.
The Punjab Safe Cities Authority (PSCA) has activated an AI-based child protection system on Safe City cameras. The system was introduced on the instructions of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif.
The new technology is designed to help authorities spot possible cases of child labour and children who are outside school during school hours.
How the New AI System Will Work
The AI system will monitor activities involving children through Safe City cameras.
It will look for situations that may indicate that a child is working during school hours. The system can then flag a possible case for further attention by the relevant authorities.
This is intended to help officials find such cases more quickly instead of relying only on manual monitoring.
AI Will Also Check for Children Outside School
The system will also focus on children who may not be attending school during regular school hours.
According to the Safe City spokesperson, the system can identify children who are not wearing school uniforms during school hours.
It can also flag students who are wearing school uniforms but are found outside school during those hours.
These alerts are meant to help authorities identify children who may be missing school and need further attention.
Automatic Alerts Will Be Sent to Authorities
When the system identifies a situation that may require attention, it will automatically generate an alert.
The alert will then be sent to the relevant authorities so they can review the case and take appropriate action.
This could make it easier for officials to respond to possible cases of child labour or school absence in a timely manner.
AI Monitoring Hours for Out-of-School Children
The AI system for identifying out-of-school children will operate during specific school hours.
According to the Safe City spokesperson, this monitoring will remain active from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM.
The selected time period is intended to help authorities identify children who are outside school when they would normally be expected to attend classes.
Punjab Expands the Use of Technology in Child Protection
The new system is aimed at giving authorities another way to identify children who may be facing problems related to education or child labour.
By using AI and existing Safe City cameras, officials hope to find potential cases earlier and send them to the relevant departments for action.
The initiative is mainly focused on helping authorities identify vulnerable children and improve school attendance across Punjab.