75% Attendance Or No Exams! Maharashtra’s Biometric Rule Tightens Noose Around College-Coaching Centre Nexus

Maharashtra's state education board will enforce mandatory 75% attendance using biometric facial recognition or fingerprint scanning for classes 11 and 12 to improve classroom attendance.

AI impression of students waiting in queue to record biometric attendance.

Source : ABPLIVE AI

 

Starting next academic year, students in classes XI and XII under the Maharashtra state education board will be required to mark their attendance using a biometric system based on facial recognition or fingerprint scanning. The initiative aims to enforce the mandatory 75% attendance rule and curb the growing trend of students skipping regular college classes in favour of private coaching institutes, reported The Times of India.

At present, many students enrol in junior colleges merely to fulfil admission requirements while attending private coaching centres for competitive exams like IIT-JEE and NEET. This arrangement often facilitated through an understanding between colleges and coaching centres, results in poor attendance in classrooms, the TOI report stated.

Sharad Gosavi, chairman of the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education, said that the education department is considering making biometric attendance compulsory in junior colleges across the state. "This step is being taken to address the issue of students neglecting college classes due to their engagement with private coaching centres. It will also help curb the practice of coaching institutes collaborating with smaller junior colleges to manipulate attendance records," he was quoted as saying by TOI.

Students in cities such as Mumbai, Pune, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nagpur, Kolhapur, Amravati, and Latur often begin their entrance exam preparations in class XI, enrolling in private coaching institutes while neglecting their college studies. Gosavi confirmed that steps are being taken to implement biometric attendance in junior colleges, with instructions already having been issued for its use in schools.

Mahendra Ganpule, former vice-president of the State Headmasters' Association, said that a similar proposal was introduced two years ago but had to be dropped due to opposition. "Now that the idea has been revived, the state board must ensure its successful implementation. In many colleges, classroom attendance is almost nonexistent, leaving teachers with no students to teach, which is a waste of resources," he added.

What Will Happen After Biometric Attendance Is Enforced?

There will be no excuse to skip classes after the biometric attendance system is implemented. Students will be required to mark attendance using facial recognition or fingerprint scans. So, attendance will only be recorded if students are physically present in class.

A minimum of 75% attendance is already mandatory to appear for state board exams. This will now be strictly enforced. Education officials believe this measure will help regulate private coaching classes and improve classroom participation.

While many parents backed the move, some have expressed concerns over the quality of education at government schools. Many students turn to private coaching only because government institutions fail to provide adequate preparation, they argued.