Teachers give biometric attendance thumbs down

The Delhi High Court may have asked the Delhi University (DU) and the University Grants Commission's (UGC) on their view on the introductions of a biometric attendance system for teachers, but most teachers are vehemently protesting against it. Mallica Joshi reports.

The Delhi High Court may have asked the Delhi University (DU) and the University Grants Commission's (UGC) on their view on the introductions of a biometric attendance system for teachers, but most teachers are vehemently protesting against it.

HT Image

The teachers argue that they spend time on preparing lectures, correcting assignments and pursuing research work.

All this, they feel cannot always be done in college. So, it'd be unfair to not account for these and calculate the teaching hours in isolation, they say.

"So much of our work is invisible, largely because colleges do not have the space or the facilities required to correct assignments, meet students, or engage in research work. Having a cubicle is also a far cry," said Sanam Khanna, a teacher at Kamla Nehru College.

The DU had planned to put a biometric attendance system in place in 2009 but had to withdraw in the wake of fierce protests from the teaching community.

A principal of an off-campus college had conducted an analysis of the patterns of attendance and teaching hours. According to his analysis, teachers tend to spend an average of only 3 hours in college per day. "Despite the UGC guideline, very few teachers spend the requisite amount of time in college. Children, especially those in off-campus colleges keep complaining about classes not being conducted regularly," said the principal on condition of anonymity.

The Delhi University Teachers' Association, meanwhile, has called for a meeting to discuss the issue on September 4.