Biometric attendance in Tirupur govt schools to be implemented from June 3, glitches yet to be resolved

With state government gearing up to implementation of Aadhaar Enabled Biometric Attendance System (AEBAS) for teaching and non-teaching staff in government higher and senior secondary schools from June 6, many glitches and issues remain to be resolved as early as possibleAEBAS is an online system where the Aadhaar numbers of teachers are added to centralised educational database.

After the aadhaar numbers are linked, the last eight digits would become the ID number of teaching and non-teaching staff and they would use the number for registering attendance and leaving the school premises. Every school is offered 3-4 biometric module depending upon the number of teaching and administrative staff. With mock attendance testing is underway for the past few weeks, the school officials expressed several issues regarding the system.

Welcoming the biometric system, Tamil Nadu Higher Secondary School Teachers Association (Tirupur unit) president S Nattrayan said, "The implementation of the system is a good move by the Educational Department, which is aimed at streamlining the attendance of teachers and administrative staff in the government school throughout the state. But there are several details which are to be sorted like procedures to be followed for casual leave, special classes, evening coaching for weaker students, maternity leave. We are yet to receive any instruction regarding those matters."

An Office bearer of the teacher's association claimed that though the biometric system is implemented in almost all government higher and senior secondary schools, many schools don't have provision for UPS power back system if there is a power failure, none of the teachers will be able to cast their attendance. Besides, the login time taken by the system is slow as a result each person must wait at least 20-30 seconds to register their attendance.

A school that has more than 20 teachers will have to be present at least 10-20 minutes early in the school to register. Though it is a positive move, educational experts questioned the outcome of the system, Prince Gajendra Babu General Secretary, State Platform for Common School System- Tamil Nadu, said, "Good and sincere teachers who conduct special classes in the late evening are offered to enter the school late in the morning. This relaxation is often not featured or added in the official records of the government school system. Biometric attendance will disturb them and force them to work under strict time."

He also highlights the attendance system is no method to measure individual capability and teaching capacity of a teacher. He said, "Ensuring the physical presence of the teacher is no way to judge the performance of them. I believe it is a superficial method for recording teacher attendance and a corrective measure to eliminate bad attendance in terms of administration." 

Not just the higher and senior secondary schools, AEBAS system also being introduced in Block Educational Offices and Education Research Centres, district Educational Offices and the Chief Educational Office in every district. The official from the education department mentioned that the attendance system is a good method to resolve attendance related issues and would be introduced in the Matriculation and other schools in the next phases.