As part of its plan to link welfare schemes with the attendance of students, the government has set the ball rolling for implementation of an advanced and foolproof attendance management system in higher educational institutions.
A slew of State-sponsored schemes like Nadu-Nedu, Jagananna Vidya Deevena and Jagananna Vasathi Deevena have been launched to strengthen this sector and ensure that their fruits reached students belonging to every strata of society.
Despite the best efforts of the authorities, transparency seems to be lacking in the students’ attendance system.
“Unfortunately, not all students adhere to the attendance norm and colleges have turned complacent. The bio-metric machines installed for the purpose, for some strange reason, have stopped working in many colleges,” said K. Hemachandra Reddy, Chairman, AP State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE), suggesting that the situation warrants a reliable, foolproof attendance system in place.
The new system will be implemented in the current academic year and to expedite the process, latest technologies, including facial recognition, keeping the COVID-19 crisis in mind, are being explored.
Panel formed
The Andhra Pradesh Centre for Financial Systems and Services (APCFSS) has been tasked with identifying an effective solution with focus on quality, accuracy, security, responsiveness, scalability, cost effectiveness and other relevant critical performance metrics in view.
A technical committee has also been formed to assist the APCFSS in identifying a suitable solution and ensure its smooth and effective implementation.
The committee is represented by the Special Chief Secretary, Department of Higher Education Satish Chandra, the APSCHE Chairman, CEO of APCFSS P. Ravi Subhash and Vice-Chancellors of Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU)-Kakinada, JNTU-Anantapur, Andhra University, Sri Venkateswara University and Sri Krishnadevaraya University.
“The committee’s role is to provide strategic direction to the project and overall monitoring till it is implemented fully across the State, coordinate with universities and its constituent/affiliated colleges and provide data and insights and ensure a smooth rollout of the project,” Mr. Reddy told The Hindu.
The committee will evaluate technical, functional and financial aspects of the various solutions and submit a detailed report to the government by March 31.
