Bengal govt introduces biometric attendance in schools
Times of India | 1 July 2026
Kolkata: All govt and state-aided schools will soon get a biometric facial recognition machine for streamlining attendance systems for employees. School education minister Dipak Barman on Tuesday said his department will also hold a rationalisation programme across schools, reallocating surplus teachers to under-enrolled schools and balance the pupil-teacher ratio.
The state govt will introduce biometric facial recognition machines across all state govt offices from July 1. State-run schools will also have these machines installed.
While addressing a BJP teachers’ cell programme, Barman said, “Our aim is to provide the best possible education to students despite constraints. This govt will not compromise on education. We are aware of the problem of surplus teachers in schools located in urban areas where enrolment is very low, whereas schools in rural areas are facing a shortage of teachers even though enrolment is very high. We need to bridge this gap and maintain a proper pupil-teacher ratio.”
He urged school teachers not to submit requests for individual transfers, stating that a structured transfer policy is under development and will be implemented soon. He also stated that the govt was preparing to hold a fresh recruitment drive, and those who lost their teaching jobs following the Supreme Court order would not be deprived.
Speaking at the event, BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya said that school teachers should be integrated as govt employees like in other BJP-ruled states, but the decision lies with the state govt.