Mumbai: Beginning next academic year, students in class 11 and 12 under the state board will be required to register their attendance through biometric systems, utilising either facial recognition or thumb impressions.
This initiative is aimed at ensuring compliance with the mandatory 75% attendance requirement and curbing the practice of private coaching centres collaborating with schools and junior colleges to falsely mark students as present when they are, in fact, absent. The policy was announced during a meeting of education officials.
Currently, many students enrol in colleges merely to fulfil attendance obligations while attending private coaching classes for competitive exams such as the IIT JEE and NEET. This arrangement, often in cooperation with colleges, undermines the enforcement of attendance regulations.
Students in major cities, including Mumbai, Pune, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nagpur, Kolhapur, Amravati, and Latur, typically begin preparing for entrance exams such as NEET, JEE, and MHT-CET from class 11, frequently opting for private coaching.
An official from the education department explained, “This initiative is specifically aimed at resolving the ongoing problem of coaching centres collaborating with junior colleges to manipulate attendance records. By introducing biometric systems, we aim to ensure greater transparency and accountability.”
Mahendra Ganpule, former president of the State Headmasters’ Association, stated, “Many colleges have seen a sharp decline in student attendance, with some having almost no students physically present. This has been a serious issue for years, and we hope that the biometric system will finally help enforce attendance regulations effectively.”
