In a bid to enhance transparency and streamline student attendance tracking, government schools across Maharashtra will soon adopt a new online attendance registration system, dubbed the attendance bot. This initiative is slated to commence on December 1, 2023, and will initially cover classes 1 to 10. The attendance bot forms an integral component of the Maharashtra Shikshan Samruddhi Kendra (MSSK), a technology-driven model designed to consolidate data from government, aided, and civic-run schools across the state.
What is this new system of attendance?
Drawing inspiration from Gujarat's Vidya Samiksha Kendra (VSK), the new system mandates teachers to download a designated mobile application to record student attendance. This move is lauded by Pramodkumar Dange, state project director of the Maharashtra Prathamik Shikshan Parishad (MPSP), who envisions the attendance bot as a simplified and efficient record-keeping mechanism.
"This new center will serve as a one-window system to monitor overall learning outcomes from schools, district-wise and region-wise, and to track various services provided to students by the government through schools," Dange remarked according to the reports.
While acknowledging that online attendance will be a cornerstone of this center, Dange hinted at the inclusion of other crucial details to be uploaded by teachers in the future. He emphasized the user-friendly nature of the application, asserting its ability to ensure complete transparency. Additionally, Dange underscored the establishment of a live dashboard accessible to teachers, parents, and education department officials, providing real-time access to attendance and academic records of students.
Drawbacks of this new system
Despite the potential benefits, schools express concerns about the additional burden of maintaining attendance records across three separate systems. According to Indian Express, Mahendra Ganpule, spokesperson for the Maharashtra School Principals Association, voiced his apprehension, stating, "There is a regular attendance register where teachers take manual attendance of students. Additionally, for classes 1 to 8 where mid-day meals are provided by the government, there is a different tech-based system where schools have to update attendance for the government to keep a track of the number of beneficiaries. Now this will be a third process."
