Student, teacher attendance drops in January

Despite biometric system, educators remain absent

PESHAWAR: While the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) always claims how it has improved public education sector in the province over the past seven years, a monthly government report has declared performance of teachers, students and relevant staff in 347 higher secondary schools as unsatisfactory.

According to the report attendance of staff at 50 education department offices was below the required standard and was declared as unsatisfactory.

The report has declared the provincial capital as the worst-performing district of the province in terms of attendance of both students and teachers for the month of January.

The ‘District-wise Monthly Attendance Report of Schools’ compiled by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Education Department, said the percentage of attendance was very discouraging in schools where the biometric system has been provided to record the presence of teachers.

The provincial capital has topped the list while it is immediately followed by Swabi, Chitral, Kohistan as worst performing districts, the report said.

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The document read that a total of the 397 school biometric reports of the teachers and education staff were collected, according to which despite the biometric system, teachers in as many as 347 schools remained absent from duties after they registered their biometrics attendance.

The biometric attendance of teachers and students was unsatisfactory in Mardan, Charsadda, Nowshera, Haripur and DI Khan districts during the first month of the current year.

According to the report, the performance of Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Buner, Shangla, Thorghar, Kohat, Karak and Abbottabad districts was also declared unsatisfactory and demanded that measures should be taken for improvement needed.

The report further said the performance of teachers and staff of the education department was unsatisfactory in Sawbi, Peshawar, Chitral and Kohistan.

The K-P Elementary and Secondary Education Department (E&SE) has shown serious concerns over the absence of staff at schools and in the education offices.

The E&SE secretary in a notification issued on Saturday directed the all District Education Officers (DEOs) to regularly check attendance of schools and share the biometric attendance sheets with the education department on a daily basis.

The secretary also directed the EDOs to share monthly reports of their relevant districts with the education department.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 9^th, 2020.