Schools told to replace defunct biometric attendance devices

Ranchi: The Jharkhand Education Project Council (JEPC) has issued guidelines in the form of a letter to government schools to replace defective biometric attendance devices.
The schools have been instructed to return the faulty machines in accordance with this instructions. The devices should be delivered to the District Project Office so they can be repaired by the company they were acquired from.
The letter stated, "Only the e-Vidyavahini app can be used to register biometric attendance in all circumstances. The department has a distinct directive that the salary and honorarium will only be paid after biometric attendance has been verified. Despite this, biometric attendance was not taken in a number of schools due to malfunctioning tablets and devices. In this regard, the educators had also lodged complaints. Prior to this, the department sought a report from the institutions on the current state of the equipment."
According to the instructions issued by JEPC, teachers and non-teaching personnel who lack biometric registration in the e-Vidyavahini application for any reason have to get registered themselves by the DEO who will be required to accomplish the registration work in his presence with assistance from an assistant computer programmer. This task will also apply to Kasturba and residential schools. Teachers and staff have been instructed to only request time off through the app."
The All Jharkhand Primary Teachers Association said on the one hand, the department does not provide adequate biometric attendance facilities, and on the other, teachers are subjected to excessive pressure. Association spokesperson Naseem Ahmed stated, "Machine problems and failures have been reported in the past but no action has been taken. The majority of institutions no longer have tabs and machines. In proportion to the number of instructors, there is a severe shortage of tabs."