A number of public schools have applied the biometrics attendance system on students, in line with the Ministry of Education’s new regulation.

The new system electronically registers the attendance of students and in instances of absence or delay in attendance, parents are notified.

Several school principals have also installed cameras to monitor activity on school premises, amid efforts to boost safety and productivity. Experts and educationalists in the Kingdom have expressed satisfaction with the system and claim that such a measure should be implemented in private schools too.

“I strongly believe this measure is needed in private schools as well,” said Mukhtar Khan, executive director and education consultant at the World Center for Education Consultancy in Riyadh. “The new system is a much required form of supervision. Any institution works well when rules are implemented and ad333hered to correctly. If fingerprinting or cameras can assist in disciplining students, then it’s a welcome step.”

“Monitoring cameras are a need of the hour. For instance, speed cameras installed on roads have reduced accidents by 50 percent. I believe schools will report better discipline and productivity after they install monitoring devices. Students will be more disciplined and will learn to respect regulations,” said Khan.

“I’m all for the new fingerprinting system in schools as it will help parents and teachers keep track of children and prevent them from skipping school and instil a sense of discipline,” said Ambareed Sayed, academic coordinator at The City School International in Jeddah.

Lakshman Sockalingam, a lecturer with the English Language Institute at King Abdul Aziz University (KAU), said he wished to see the same system enforced in both government and private institutions to ensure uniformity across all schools in the Kingdom.