In a move to increase transparency and reduce absenteeism among school teachers, the Tripura government has made location sharing mandatory for attendance marking. Approximately 25,000 teachers in 4,912 government schools in the state have been instructed to share their locations after arriving at their respective schools since June.
Previously, the government had implemented an e-attendance system for teachers. Now, teachers are required to share their locations in addition to marking their attendance digitally. This new system aims to ensure that teachers are physically present in their schools during working hours.
Prasant Killikdar, the education officer of Unakoti district, explained that teachers must click the “share location” option on their digital devices upon entering school premises. This information is then uploaded onto a school management system, allowing authorities to monitor teachers’ attendance in real-time from the chief minister to the education director.
While the system currently tracks teachers’ arrival times, there are plans to implement a system for recording departure times as well. Additionally, class teachers are responsible for uploading student attendance during school days.
To further monitor teacher attendance and ensure quality education, the department has formed inter-district committees to conduct surprise visits to schools. These committees report their findings to district education offices for necessary action.
These measures have already shown positive results, with improvements in the performance of government Vidyajyoti (CBSE) schools in Unakoti district and across the state compared to the previous year. The government hopes that these initiatives will lead to better outcomes for both teachers and students in Tripura’s schools.
