Maharashtra will make online teacher attendance mandatory in all schools from October 15, with headmasters responsible for recording the daily attendance of teachers from Classes 1 to 12 through the state’s Smart Attendance system.
The directive applies to schools across all mediums and managements. Education Commissioner Sachindra Pratap Singh issued instructions to education department officials, stating that headmasters must record teacher attendance through the system. In their absence, the responsibility will rest with the acting headmaster.
Online attendance for students has already begun, while teacher attendance will now be brought into the same digital monitoring framework for the current academic year. The system is being implemented through the state Vidya Samiksha Kendra, which is also responsible for tracking attendance, assessment, accreditation, administration, adaptive learning and artificial intelligence-related activities under a framework prepared by the National Vidya Samiksha Kendra.
For schools registered on the Shalarth portal, headmasters must use the school’s Unified District Information System for Education, or UDISE, code and their own Shalarth ID while recording attendance through the Swift Chat application. The mobile number registered on the Shalarth portal must also be used. If the number has changed, it must first be updated on the portal.
Schools that are not registered on Shalarth must use the 10-digit National Teacher Code available on the UDISE+ portal, along with the mobile number recorded there. If the teacher list is not visible to a headmaster or acting headmaster, the relevant details must be updated on the Shalarth or UDISE+ portal. The teacher list is expected to become visible in the following days after the information is updated.
The department has specified different attendance windows based on school schedules. Schools operating in two shifts must record attendance between 7 am and noon. Other schools must complete the process between 10 am and 5 pm. Night schools will be allowed to record attendance until 9 pm.
The move places a new daily administrative responsibility on school heads, who will have to ensure that teacher attendance is entered within the prescribed time and that staff records on the department’s digital platforms remain current. It also links attendance monitoring to the accuracy of identity, mobile number and school registration data held across multiple government systems.
At the district level, deputy education officers for primary education, officials from the Samagra Shiksha programme and equivalent municipal-level officers will work as district nodal officers for the Vidya Samiksha Kendra. Programmers working under Samagra Shiksha will assist them with the process.
The divisional education deputy directors, primary and secondary education officers and district nodal officers will review whether teachers’ daily attendance is being recorded regularly. The department’s instructions make these officials responsible for monitoring compliance after the system becomes mandatory on October 15.
