The Principals of the Government colleges who took a lead in enforcement of the Bio-metric attendance system in the Government colleges for the staff members are now reluctant to include themselves into this form of attendance system. The Principals are citing reasons like undefined duty hours and type of their job which requires regular official visits outside the college as reasons for their opposition to the move to add them into the Bio- metric system of attendance. The State higher education department had recently directed that Principals of the colleges should also be included in the bio- metric attendance system.
The President of the association of Government College Principals Jagdish Prasad said that most of the Principals are against the move to add them into bio- metric attendance system. He claimed that Principals spend long hours in the colleges, more than other staff members and many times they have to attend meetings and programme in other places so it is not rational to enforce the bio-metric attendance on them. Prasad said that Principals are planning to lodge a written protest on the issue.
One of the Principals said, “The bio-metric attendance system no doubt has ensured discipline among the staff members but it has also inculcated a feeling among staff members that they have to spent only a stipulated time in the colleges and after that no one should ask them to stay in the colleges. On the other hand the onus and work load on Principals is much higher so it is undesirable to bind them in the bio-metric system of attendance.”
General Secretary of Garhwal University Teachers Association (GUTA) D K Tyagi said the Principals opposition to bio-metric attendance is baseless and like other staff members they also should follow it.
The Govt ordered installation of Bio-metric attendance system in the colleges of the State after directive of Uttarakhand High Court (HC). While disposing off a petition by one Daulat Ram Semwal, the HC had asked the U’khand govt to install these machines in the colleges so that complaints of teachers bunking their classes are addressed.