Once again, the government of Nagaland is making an attempt
to address the key issues that have been plaguing the Education department for
decades – proxy attendance. The Directorate of School Education (DoSE) has
announced that the implementation of a mobile application called SMILE (Smart
attendance Management and Informative Leaves) in all government schools and
establishments under DoSE across the state will start on February 1, 2025, to
“promote efficient administrative practices, improve data-driven
decision-making, and foster a culture of accountability and transparency in the
education system”. All teachers and staff have been asked to mark their
attendance daily using the SMILE app kiosk at their respective schools and
establishments. This directive came nearly a year after the department
introduced the SMILE app for the Teacher Attendance Monitoring System (TAMS) at
74 schools (in two educational blocks) in the first phase and then in three
districts – Dimapur, Kohima and Phek – in the second phase. It is a commendable
move to weed out the mess in the department and take stringent action against
the erring employees, including termination. But the big question remains- can
the government bell the cat? It is easier said than done for more reasons than
one.
The state government is very much aware of the issue but it
seems to be at its wits end. In 2016, then Minister of School Education and
SCERT had warned teachers of termination and initiating a criminal case if
found keeping substitutes to attend to their duties at schools after June 30.
The issue remains even after nearly nine years. Successive governments too have
tried to address the issue but fall short of taking stringent action. People
are frustrated but they are either in the system or don’t want to get into the
bad books of someone they know. In short, the problem we face today, in all
departments, is our own making, which is why it is all the more difficult to
eradicate it. But we have to start somewhere to break this vicious circle. So,
the smart-attendance system is a good move to start with. What is required is a
collective effort. The SMILE app, which boasts advanced technology like facial
recognition, timestamping, and geofencing for marking attendance and recording
leave applications, will help bring smiles to the faces of children, especially
the underprivileged, only if there is public support and political will. Slow
internet speed or lack of it will also render the technology useless. The
concerned authorities should set a precedent by penalising errant employees. A
similar app or biometric machines should be installed in all government offices
to eliminate absenteeism.
