Delhi school attendance to go digital from April 1

From April 1 attendance in all Delhi government school could be marked on e-tablets as part of the zero paperwork programme.

It was stated by Delhi Education Minister Manish Sisodia, here on Thursday, after a meeting with the Deputy Directors of Education (DDEs) and other senior officials.

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"The DDEs will ensure that each school teacher is provided with digital tablets," he said and added, no teacher should be without a tablet.

"I want zero paperwork. Section-wise attendance should be marked by teachers. We are aiming to build a robust software for the attendance system so that every DDE gets a notification about students` attendance in each section of each school within their zones. It would be implemented from April 1."

Stating that the DDEs should be aware of the number of students attending classes, Sisodia said they should get a notification by 9 a.m. everyday about the number of students in classes.

Examination results also have to be uploaded and maintained online. "Let us do away with paperwork for examination results too," said Sisodia.

The Education Minister said CCTV installation should be expedited. "The DDEs will have to keep track of CCTV cameras` installation at schools and classrooms. They must know the number of CCTV cameras installed in schools in their zone. Also, whether they are functional or not, and if password has been provided to parents or not.

"Passwords have to be provided to parents for those classrooms where CCTVs have been installed so that they can access the class of their wards," he said.

Sisodia also asked the DDEs to ensure video link facilities in each school by the end of April. "Every school should have the video conferencing facility. Meetings between school heads, the DDEs and other officials can be conducted online. It will save the time consumed in commuting for meetings," said Sisodia.

The Education Minister also stressed improvement in school aesthetics, like buildings, boundary walls, gates and name plates.

On re-election of the Aam Aadmi Party, he said it was the first time in the history of India that education was recognised as a significant electoral issue. "It`s time to realign the education revolution. We have a dedicated team for education and we have to work really hard in the next five years," he said.

Cautioning his team against arrogance, Sisodia said, "For the recognition that we are receiving for our dedicated efforts in changing the education model of Delhi, people from other states and countries have been reaching out to us to learn from us.

"We should not show arrogance while sharing our educational practices and model with them. It should be a learning experience for us as well for strengthening it further."

Sisodia said, as a government, they have a dream to see India as a developed country. "And there is no other way apart from education that can help us push the progress and development of the country. Education is our way towards development. That`s why all of us are so obsessed with improving the quality of education in Delhi," said Sisodia