Maharashtra smart attendance will become mandatory for teachers in all schools from October 15, with headmasters responsible for recording the daily online attendance of teaching staff from Classes 1 to 12. The directive applies to schools across all mediums of instruction and management types, according to Education Commissioner Sachindra Pratap Singh.
The online attendance system is being introduced through the state Vidya Samiksha Kendra, which is responsible for tracking attendance, assessment, accreditation, administration, adaptive learning and artificial intelligence-related activities under the framework developed by the National Vidya Samiksha Kendra. Student attendance has already begun being recorded online during the current academic year, and the next phase will cover teachers.
Under the instructions issued to education department officials, headmasters must record the attendance of all teachers in their schools. In the absence of a headmaster, the responsibility will rest with the acting headmaster. The arrangement places the daily accuracy and regularity of teacher attendance records at the school-administration level rather than with individual teachers.
Headmasters of schools registered on the Shalarth portal must use their school’s U-DISE code, their own Shalarth identification number and the mobile number registered on the Shalarth portal while recording attendance through the Swift Chat application. If the registered mobile number has changed, it must first be updated on the Shalarth portal.
Schools that are not registered on the Shalarth portal will have to use the 10-digit National Teacher Code recorded on the U-DISE+ portal and the mobile number registered there. If the list of teachers is not visible to a headmaster or acting headmaster, the designation must be updated as headmaster or acting headmaster on the Shalarth and U-DISE+ portals. The department said the teacher list should become visible within the following few days after the information is updated.
The attendance-recording windows will vary according to the school’s schedule. Schools operating in two shifts must record attendance between 7 am and noon. Other schools will have to record it between 10 am and 5 pm, while night schools will be permitted to record attendance until 9 pm.
The system will also be monitored through officials appointed at district and municipal levels. Deputy education officers for primary education, officers working under Samagra Shiksha and equivalent officers at the municipal corporation level will function 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 teacher attendance is being recorded regularly. The directive makes the headmaster the immediate point of responsibility while assigning higher-level officials the task of monitoring compliance across schools.
