New Delhi: The West Bengal government has announced plans to introduce a biometric attendance system for school students as part of its efforts to improve
attendance and reform the state’s school education system.
School Education Minister Dipak Barman made the announcement while addressing the 11th district conference of the Akhil Bharatiya Rashtriya Shaikshik Mahasangh in Jalpaiguri on Sunday.
The minister said the biometric attendance system would help reduce the administrative workload on teachers while ensuring that students attend classes regularly.
“Teachers’ burden will come down. Students will be informed from the beginning that those with poor attendance will not be allowed to appear for examinations,” Barman said.
The minister also assured that vacant teaching positions across government schools would be filled in a timely manner.
As part of the government’s education infrastructure upgrade, Barman announced that 1,000 schools across the state would be equipped with modern laboratories, with an allocation of Rs 20 lakh per school for the project.
He further said the government plans to ensure that every primary school has at least three teachers. The state is also considering merging upper primary schools with nearby high schools to improve academic administration and resource utilisation.
Addressing concerns over balancing academic activities with census-related duties assigned to teachers, the minister said the government is exploring options to prevent classroom teaching from being disrupted.
“If necessary, schools may conduct classes in the morning so that both teaching and census responsibilities can be managed simultaneously,” he said.
The announcements form part of the state government’s broader strategy to improve student attendance, strengthen school infrastructure, and enhance the overall quality of education in government schools.
