The School Education Department is upbeat as attendance of teachers in schools across the 13 districts of the State has improved tremendously, thanks to the biometric attendance system that leaves no choice for the hitherto ‘elusive’ educators to ‘bunk’ duties.
It’s nearly two months since the new e-Hazar machines have been put to use, and the attendance of teachers has been improving by the day.
According to the department officials, on November 14, as many as 1,25,240 (81%) teachers authenticated their attendance on the biometric devices in their respective schools.
‘eLeave’ system
As part of reforms in the Education Department, a mobile application, Andhra Pradesh Teachers eLeave System (APTeLS), was developed and released in Google play store on November 1.
This app allows to capture/mark the reasons for a teacher’s absence —different kinds of leave, on duty (OD), deputation on official work, training, and local holiday.
The department has also decided to implement 100% Aadhaar-enabled biometric attendance for Class 10 students from November 20 (Monday).
The Regional Joint Directors and the District Education Officers have been told to ask Deputy Education Officers, Mandal Education Officers and headmasters in their respective purviews to ensure that teachers eligible for leave, holiday, and on duty should be registered/ apply through the APTeLS mobile app for enabling 100% teacher attendance through e-Hazar.
The leave needs to be registered by duly entering treasury ID and OTP received on the registered mobile to avoid discrepancy.
Teachers have been clearly told that in case of leave, they need to apply before 9 a.m. of the respective day, failing which it would be treated as absent.
Any change in the teacher’s mobile number will have to be updated/registered at the respective offices.
The leave applications will be approved by headmasters, MEOs or Deputy EOs.
To impart training and clear doubts, if any, the department has asked district nodal persons to attend a meeting at Rampachodavaram in East Godavari district on November 21.
Teachers not pleased
It’s a long wait to register attendance in the new e-Hazar devices, which often results in delay in reaching the class in the very first period of the day, rue many teachers.
“The new devices installed for the purpose are substandard. Since the whole exercise is linked to Aadhaar, the registration is causing delay. The authorities should immediately rectify the technical glitches,” says P. Babu Reddy, chairman of the Federation of Andhra Pradesh Teachers’ Organisations (FAPTO).
The department has installed biometric machines in 41,601 government-run schools.
It is now mandatory for the students and teachers to mark their attendance through e-Hazar machines.
