Tripura introduces e-attendance with location sharing for government school teachers

In a significant move to enhance accountability and transparency in its education system, the Tripura government has mandated that all teachers in government schools across the state utilize an e-attendance system that includes location sharing. This directive, effective since June, requires approximately 25,000 teachers across 4,912 schools to share their precise location upon entering their respective school premises.

According to Prasant Killikdar, Unakoti district’s education officer and joint director of the department, the new feature builds upon the existing e-attendance system. Teachers must now click the "share location" option on their digital devices only after physically being inside the school. Once this process is completed, the headmaster or headmistress will upload the teachers' presence to the school management system, a digital platform that provides real-time access to the entire e-attendance data, including locations, to top officials from the Chief Minister down to the Secretary and Director of the department.

Killikdar lauded the initiative as a positive development for ensuring the consistent presence of teachers in their schools, a crucial factor for improving educational outcomes. While the system for recording departure times has not yet been implemented, class teachers are responsible for uploading student attendance. To further bolster oversight, the education department has formed two inter-district committees for each district, tasked with conducting regular surprise visits to schools and submitting reports to ensure quality education.

These initiatives are part of a broader strategy to foster transparency in teacher attendance and ultimately yield better academic results across the state. Officials noted that these continuous efforts have already contributed to improved performance in the state government's Vidyajyoti schools, not only in Unakoti district but across Tripura, compared to the previous year.