Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Higher Education Department has introduced a Student Biometric Attendance System to digitally monitor attendance in colleges, with a pilot project set to begin at 10 higher education institutions in the first phase.
The system will be implemented through the Higher Education Management Information System (HIMS), under which students’ attendance will be digitally recorded and verified using GPS location and live photographs, officials said.
The initiative assumes particular importance for beneficiaries of the KG to PG Free Education Scheme, under which students are required to maintain a minimum attendance of 75 per cent to avail the benefits.
The pilot project will enable the department to assess the system’s performance and obtain feedback from the participating institutions, officials said. Based on the experience gained during the pilot phase and suggestions received from the institutions, the system will be further strengthened before being extended to other eligible higher education institutions across the state.
