Primary school teachers in Uttar Pradesh have decided to defy a state government order if the new artificial intelligence (AI)-based attendance system was not withdrawn immediately.
The teachers said that the face recognition system for attendance is practically impossible.
The system has been launched as a pilot project in six districts under which teachers have to register attendance at a given time through face recognition application on their mobile phones.
Teachers in various primary schools across the state signed a dissent note at their respective block level registers demanding withdrawal of the system.
“Most of the government primary schools are located in rural areas where roads are in bad shape and transportation is a big issue. My primary school is located in a village where you have no option but to walk for 4 km from the main road,” said a primary teacher from Barabanki.
She said the new rule says salary will be deducted or a teacher will be marked absent if we are even a minute late, which is unfair for teachers who make an effort to reach the school located in an interior and remote location on time.
Another teacher from Deoria said: “Network is the biggest issue in most of the primary schools. Even if we reach in time, due to massive network issue we will not be able to mark our attendance and in such situation, pay loss is unfair.”
Teachers from Bahraich also complained that to reach their school they have to cross forests, ponds and bad roads.
Anand Mohan, president of Rashtriya Shikshak Sangh, said: “A majority of primary schools are in rural areas and teachers travel kilometres from their home to reach school. This system is impractical.”
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