Government Schools in Telangana to use Facial Recognition System for Attendance
Telangana: Marking attendance in registers will soon become obsolete for teaching and non-teaching staff in government schools. The School Education Department has decided to implement a Facial Recognition System (FRS) to streamline the attendance process.
Pilot Project in Peddapalli District
The new system is being introduced as a pilot project in Peddapalli district, covering staff in Government and Local Body Schools, Model Schools, TGRIES, KGBVs, and Urban Residential Schools. If successful, the initiative will be expanded to other districts.
School Education Director EV Narasimha Reddy recently instructed Peddapalli District Education Officer (DEO) D Madhavi to take necessary steps for implementing the FRS. The DEO has been directed to ensure cooperation from school headmasters and to appoint a nodal officer to monitor the program.
Benefits of FRS
The FRS aims to ensure punctuality among teachers, prevent proxy attendance, and allow the department to monitor staff attendance more effectively. “This new system is essential to ensure teachers maintain discipline and arrive at schools on time,” said a headmaster.
Previous Implementation and Challenges
The system was earlier tested in Hyderabad, Rangareddy, and Medchal-Malkajgiri schools for teachers. However, following opposition from teacher unions, it was limited to tracking student attendance.
With the State government introducing FRS for Secretariat employees, the School Education Department has extended it to its head office staff and now to school employees.
How FRS Works
Teachers must take a selfie using the FRS application installed on a smartphone or tablet before marking student attendance. The app, preloaded with staff details, automatically synchronizes facial data with its database to record attendance.
Concerns from Teachers
Teachers have raised concerns about using their personal smartphones for the FRS, particularly as the app is incompatible with iOS devices. “The State government should provide tablet devices to all government schools instead of relying on teachers’ personal phones,” said a teacher.
The pilot project’s success in Peddapalli will determine its rollout across the State.
