Punjab launches real-time attendance system in 18,000 govt schools, tightens monitoring

Attendance tracking system in schools: The Punjab Government has introduced an online attendance tracking system across all 18,000 government schools in the state in order to strengthen student monitoring and improve accountability in the education system.

Announcing the rollout, Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains said the system became operational from today and will cover nearly 3 million students enrolled in government schools. Under the new mechanism, parents will receive instant alerts if their child is absent from school.

The system has been designed with multiple layers of intervention. If a student remains absent for more than three consecutive days, the school authorities will directly contact the parents. Continued absenteeism beyond 15 days will trigger escalation to district officials and eventually to the state headquarters for further action.

The minister said the initiative would not only help curb absenteeism but also enhance student safety by ensuring timely communication between schools and families. The government has also launched the next phase of its ‘Samarth’ project, aimed at strengthening foundational learning.

Bains further said timely supply of textbooks has been streamlined. Recalling past delays, he said that until 2022, students often received books as late as September or October, forcing reliance on photocopied material. This year, however, textbooks were delivered to schools in February and distributed to students in bundled sets on April 1.

The government maintains that these measures collectively signal a broader transformation in Punjab’s public education system, with a focus on accessibility, quality, and student retention.