Biometric attendance compulsory for teachers; mobiles not allowed in class

Ranchi: Government school teachers in Jharkhand will not be allowed to bring cell phones to class. At the same time, teachers won’t even receive their pay without biometric attendance. Numerous such recommendations have been made by the Jharkhand School Education and Literacy Department. These new instructions reportedly came from Department Secretary Ravi Kumar, who also provided them to teachers at public schools.

According to the new rules, teachers should either go to the principal of the school or keep their mobile phones in the locker allotted to them before they enter the classroom. The decision was made because many teachers in several schools of the state were seen using their phones instead of teaching the students.

The decision was taken during a meeting with the Block Education promotion and Jharkhand education sector officers. The officials also discussed developing guidelines and the current situation of government schools in Jharkhand.

Increasingly, it is now required for teachers to record attendance via biometrics, depending on which their salary and honorarium would be decided. Teachers’ salaries may also be deducted if they fail to mark their attendance using biometrics, and action would be taken against them.