To rein in the delinquent teachers who usually bunk their duties, the education department is planning to introduce bio-metric system of attendance in the inter colleges and high schools of the State. The step is necessitated by the order of Uttarakhand High Court which has asked the State Dovernment to install the bio-metric machines in the schools of the State. The secondary education Director, RK Kunwar informed The Pioneer that the department has sent the proposal to the install these machines in the all the inter colleges and high schools of the state to the Government. He informed that the cost of one biometric machine is around Rs25,000.
There are 1,238 Government inter colleges and 103 government high schools in the state out of which electricity facility is not available in 300 schools. Kunwar said that in the first phase the department would install these machines in those schools where power connection is there. The department was also contemplating to install battery operated bio metric machines in the schools where electricity connection is not there, but the proposal was rejected by the experts as a non practical one.
On January 22, while hearing the petition of Dehradun resident Daulat Ram Semwal the Chief Justice of Uttarakhand HC Justice VK Bisht and Justice UC Dhyani gave the ruling that the bio metric system of attendance should also be followed in the high schools and inter colleges of State. The HC, while hearing this case, had earlier ordered to install these machines in the colleges of the state to ensure teaching of 180 days in an academic session. The State Government had installed the bio metric system of attendance in all the colleges of state which has created a positive academic environment in these colleges.
The bio-metric attendance system is expected to bring some order in the education department where the teachers are notorious for bunking their duties. The situation in the remote and inaccessible areas is worse where teachers remain away from the schools for days together. Expressing happiness on the installation of these machines the vice-president of Garhwal division of Rajkeeya Shikshak Sangh, Mukesh Bahuguna said that with the installation of bio metric attendance system the black sheep in the teaching community would be exposed. He said that only few teachers bunk their duties but they malign the image of entire teaching community.