Biometric attendance system for tribals

In many of the state’s 507 residential schools for tribal children, teachers bunking classes is a more serious problem than students remaining absent.

In many of the state’s 507 residential schools for tribal children, teachers bunking classes is a more serious problem than students remaining absent.

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To check this trend, the Tribal Development department headed by Minister Babanrao Pachpute has decided to keep a round-the-clock check on the attendance of teachers.

Pachpute on Thursday said the government would put biometric attendance systems in these aided schools, which impart education to about 1.34 lakh students.

“Residential school teachers will have to mark their attendance five times in a day and students twice. The tribal development commissioner has been asked to present a detailed proposal on this,” said Pachpute.

The state gives Rs 335 for every student enrolled as grant to voluntary organisations running these residential schools. These schools are often in dismal condition, and funds are siphoned off.

Meanwhile, Pachpute also announced that all eight offices looking into caste verification certificates for tribals would be computerised and have their vacancies filled. The department will then go online with caste verification to speed up the process.

This year, the Tribal Development department has a generous budget of Rs 2,513 crore for development schemes, but only 68 per cent of the budget has been utilised.