UP digital attendance system for teachers, launched on July 8, suspended

UP online attendance system row: After teachers across state launched protests, Yogi Adityanath announced a committee would review the system

The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday suspended for two months a digital attendance system in schools, reacting after teachers and 'Shiksha Mitras' (para teachers) started protests against the initiative when it was launched on July 8.

The government also announced a committee will review the system and gather feedback from teachers.  The committee is tasked with submitting its final report after which a decision on implementing the digital attendance system will be taken.

M K Shanmuga Sundaram, principal secretary of basic education, said that the committee will have education department officials, members of teachers’ union, and experts.

As the news of suspension came in, teachers expressed their happiness at being “relieved” from the mental pressure.

 

#WATCH | UP | Teachers of a government school in Chaprua Khera, Zone-1 in Lucknow wore black arm bands in protest against the digital attendance system, yesterday. pic.twitter.com/kYZw3nMeXs

— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) July 9, 2024

“It is great news that the online attendance has been suspended for sometime ...we teach and do hard work…. However, this (online system) is being forcefully imposed on us to come on time….we will do a good job and will arrive on time….we have been relieved of the mental pressure…,” a teacher in Mathura is heard saying in a viral video.

On July 8, just 2 per cent of the nearly 609,000 teachers recorded their attendance through the new digital system. Some teachers were seen wearing black armbands to mark their protest over the issue.

Why are UP teachers upset with the digital attendance system?

Sandeep Kumar, president of Lucknow Metropolitan Primary Education Association, said on July 9 the system has faults and teachers were unable to register their attendance. “It leads to a deduction of salary...Currently, the teachers are marking their attendance using this system,” he added.

Lucknow, UP | Sandeep Kumar, President of Lucknow Metropolitan Primary Education Association says," The teachers are troubled because the online digital attendance system is not working well and due to this the teachers are not able to register attendance within the given time… pic.twitter.com/olxohVueoo

— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) July 9, 2024

Subsequently on July 12, the government waived the 8:30 am restriction, announcing that the teachers would be able to mark their attendance on the mobile application ‘Prerna’ throughout the entire school period.

On the issue, many teachers said that they are not against the system but wanted some of their demands fulfilled. They have asked for benefits like earned leaves and casual leaves, better infrastructure among other things.