Tribune News Service

Shimla, October 21

All 4,474 government primary and middle schools in the state will now have Aadhaar-enabled bio-metric attendance (AEBAS) system for teachers and other staff. This will ensure that they do not skip classes and arrive and leave school on time.

Director, Elementary Education, Rohit Jamwal today wrote to all Deputy Directors, Elementary Education (DDEE), Block Elementary Education Officers and Project Directors to ensure supply and proper installation of these bio-metric machines in the schools falling under their jurisdiction in the first phase. The process of supply of machines will begin in the next 10 days and all Block Elementary Education Officers have been asked to keep the bio-data and Aadhaar card details of all teaching and non-teaching employees ready.

Government senior secondary and high schools already have bio-metric attendance at most places.

The problem of teachers not going to schools, where they have been posted for days together, is a cause of concern. There have been instances, where the continued absence of teachers from their place of posting has resulted in irate villagers locking up the school. In some cases, teachers reluctant to serve in a remote area have even hired educated unemployed youth to teach in their place.

It is now being expected that bio-metric attendance will sort out the mess to a great extent. It is not just the results, but the learning level of students in government schools too has dropped. This has resulted in a decline in enrolment with people preferring private schools.

All 4,474 schools have been directed to purchase GSM-SIM cards (4G) from Jio, Airtel or BSNL, for a year. Education Department officials have also been asked to update the data of the employees in case of retirement, transfer, promotion, posting, upgrade and opening of new schools.

The District Nodal Officer has been made responsible for receiving, installing, activating, maintaining and timely reporting about the machines.

New system to check absenteeism