Online attendance of teachers in basic schools across Uttar Pradesh is being recorded at a very low rate.
Of the approximately 6,12,642 teachers employed in about 1,32,643 schools across the state, only 93 teachers marked their online attendance in the first shift and 58 in the second shift — amounting to less than approximately 0.01%.
Meanwhile, student attendance is somewhat better: out of approximately 1,28,98,383 students throughout the state, 21,65,138 (approximately 16.79%) recorded their attendance.
The Prayagraj division is performing well in this regard: online student attendance here reached ~77.28%, while it remained very low in many other divisions across the state. The department has indicated that it will provide tablets and SIM cards to boost teacher attendance.
Analysis
This situation indicates that teachers are not adequately participating in the online attendance system, which was established for inspection and teaching-learning monitoring.
While student attendance is better, the significant decline in teacher attendance suggests that teacher participation or monitoring in schools is insufficient.
Better-performing regions, such as the Prayagraj division, demonstrate that improvement is possible — yet other divisions lag significantly behind.
The indication of providing equipment (tablets/SIM cards) is positive, but it remains to be seen how effectively they are utilized and the extent to which teachers adopt them.
Suggestions
The department should implement incentive programs and awareness campaigns to encourage teachers to take online attendance seriously.
Ensuring the availability of technical facilities (tablets, internet) is crucial — as technical hindrances could also be a reason for non-attendance.
