‘No salary to teachers not marking attendance using Android app’

Judge highlights app malfunctions, lack of signal, and absence of mobile phones are not the valid reasons

KARACH:

The Sindh High Court (SHC) has ruled that salaries of teachers will be withheld if they fail to use the Android application, introduced by the Sindh govrenment to mark their attendance, following a petition regarding education reforms in the province.

Education Secretary Akbar Leghari on Saturday appeared before a two-member bench headed by Chief Justice Ahmad Ali Sheikh, where he stated that efforts have been made to improve the attendance rate of teachers, which has now risen to 77 per cent. "Many teachers do not have smartphones and use this as an excuse," Leghari said.

Expressing frustration, the presiding judge highlighted that the app malfunctions, lack of signal, and absence of mobile phones are not the valid reasons.

The judge pointed out that teachers manage to use their phones for hours in conversation and enjoyment on apps like TikTok, despite claiming a lack of internet access for marking attendance. The court ordered that salaries of teachers who fail to mark their attendance on the online system should be withheld. He emphasised the need for teachers to use the provided online app for attendance.

Furthermore, the court directed the IT secretary to continue updating the attendance system, while requesting an updated report from the secretary of education during the next hearing.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 4^th, 2023.