Bandipora, June 16: Government Middle School (GMS) Mantrigam in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district has taken a significant stride towards enhancing student attendance and promoting transparency by becoming the pioneering school in the Kashmir Valley to adopt a biometric attendance system.
Atta Mohammad Rather, the Head of the Institution, told Rising Kashmir that this initiative aims to boost student engagement and effectively monitor attendance.
GMS Mantrigam stands out as the solitary educational institution in the entire Bandipora district to implement biometric devices for recording student attendance, Atta said, adding that the innovative system leverages biometric technology to precisely track and document student attendance.
According to Rather, his school is the first of its kind in the Union Territory to introduce a biometric attendance system. He further added, “While a Higher Secondary School in Poonch previously implemented a biometric attendance system, GMS Mantrigam is the first Middle-level School to do so.”
He said that under this new system, students are required to record their attendance through the biometric device, which identifies each student uniquely based on their biometric characteristics such as fingerprints.
The Jammu and Kashmir government has previously made it mandatory for teachers to adhere to biometric attendance during school hours, and likewise, children should also be bound by it in order to improve the education system and its quality, he said.
Atta also said that this attendance system will minimize the chances of proxy attendance by students. After one month, the attendance records can be shared with parents, ensuring they are informed about their wards’ activities.
Meanwhile, parents have expressed their appreciation for the school authorities’ introduction of this advanced attendance system.
Mushtaq Ahmad, a parent, said that it reflects the commitment of GMS Mantrigam towards providing quality education and ensuring regular class attendance by students.
He said that the implementation of the biometric attendance system not only streamlines the attendance process but also fosters transparency, eliminating any discrepancies or inaccuracies that may arise.
The commendable efforts of GMS Mantrigam in implementing the biometric attendance system set a noteworthy example for other educational institutions in the valley, another parent said.
