Teachers are up in arms against the recent initiative of the UP Board wherein it has introduced mandatory online attendance of teachers and students in its over 28,000 affiliated secondary schools from this academic session.
Though UP Board officials seem determined to continue with the system in interest of ensuring transparent accountability, a delegation from the Thakurai faction of the UP Secondary Teachers’ Association has submitted a memorandum to UP Board secretary Bhagwati Singh demanding the withdrawal of the directive mandating online attendance in UP Board schools.
The teachers argue that a majority of secondary schools in the state are located in rural and remote areas, where uninterrupted power supply and reliable internet connectivity are often unavailable.
Moreover, most schools lack the necessary infrastructure and devices required to implement such a system effectively. Under these conditions, recording the daily attendance, absence, or leave status of thousands of students is both impractical and unfeasible, said the principal of a UP Board-affiliated intermediate school in Prayagraj.
The online attendance system recently imposed has not been implemented at the Uttar Pradesh Board headquarters, its five regional offices, or at the district, divisional, or state-level offices of the state education department, pointed out Lalmani Dwivedi, state general secretary of UP Secondary Teachers’ Association (Thakurai faction), who led the delegation.
{{/usCountry}}The online attendance system recently imposed has not been implemented at the Uttar Pradesh Board headquarters, its five regional offices, or at the district, divisional, or state-level offices of the state education department, pointed out Lalmani Dwivedi, state general secretary of UP Secondary Teachers’ Association (Thakurai faction), who led the delegation.
{{/usCountry}}In secondary schools across the state, teachers’ attendance is already being recorded through attendance registers and biometric systems, while students’ attendance is documented in registers. Introducing a third method of attendance is unnecessary, impractical, and a waste of time and effort.
Moreover, under the Intermediate Education Act of 1921, the UP Board secretary does not hold the authority to make decisions regarding the service conditions of teachers. Therefore, this decision is in violation of both established rules and jurisdiction, maintained Dwivedi. If the order is not withdrawn, the organisation will make a decision on the matter in its meeting scheduled for July 27.