Karnataka to roll out GPS-based digital attendance for teachers from May 29

Belagavi: Teachers across the state are set to adopt biometric attendance from the reopening day on Friday, following a directive from the education department. The system will be mandatory in all govt and aided primary and secondary schools. Traditional attendance registers will be replaced by a GPS-based system requiring teachers to mark attendance twice daily—morning and evening—as part of efforts to enhance transparency and monitoring.

The school education department is implementing digital attendance through the mobile-based Karnataka Attendance Management System (KAMS). Teachers have already installed the KAMS app on their mobile phones and have been briefed on its usage. They must log in before the start of the school day and mark attendance again after the work period ends. Attendance can be recorded only within a 100-m radius of the school premises. With GPS tracking, the location from which attendance is marked will be verified.

The project is fully overseen by the block education officers (BEOs) of respective regions. They will monitor daily attendance records from schools under their jurisdiction and submit monthly reports at the taluk level to the district deputy director.

According to education experts, the system will ensure accurate tracking of teachers’ attendance and simplify record management. Improved punctuality among teachers could also enhance academic quality. Attendance data of all teachers across the state will be centrally available.

Ramesh K, a parent from Raibag, said there were complaints about some govt school teachers not attending regularly and allegedly appointing private individuals in their place. There were also suspicions of official involvement in such practices. The KAMS system is expected to curb such irregularities.

Teachers’ objections

However, some teachers have raised concerns about the KAMS system. Those working in remote areas, where bus connectivity is poor, have pointed out difficulties in reaching schools on time. They have also expressed concerns over the reliability of technology-based attendance.

In forest regions such as Khanapur, both transport and network connectivity remain major challenges. Teachers say that even if they are physically present, a poor network could lead to their attendance being marked as absent. They have urged authorities to address these technical issues urgently.

Some teachers have also questioned how attendance will be managed if a mobile phone is forgotten, stolen, or damaged. Others have raised concerns about those who do not own smartphones.

Leelavati Hiremath, deputy director of the school education and literacy department, said that digital attendance is currently being implemented on an experimental basis. She added that, apart from minor issues, there are no major problems with the KAMS software.