Assam has made commendable strides in bolstering infrastructure of its school education system. However, there remains a pressing need to fortify the softer aspects such as quality and accountability. One enduring challenge has been the issue of teacher and student absenteeism.

The introduction of the Shiksha Setu app by the Assam government leverages group facial recognition technology underpinned by artificial intelligence and anti-spoofing systems. This innovative tool not only tracks attendance but also establishes a robust feedback mechanism. Beyond its initial tracking function, it is now providing invaluable ground data that empowers the government to make informed policy decisions. By focusing on key indicators like teacher retirement records, pupil-teacher ratio and subject teacher-pupil ratio, the app is poised to drive efficiency and accountability.

This is for the first time that any State has used AI based group facial recognition technology to create a real-time management information system for nearly five million students and 0.2 million teachers in the State. The technology has many advantages. First, with this feature, attendance of an entire class on an average takes less than a minute and the accuracy of the software is significantly high.

Second, the data freshness is also a step ahead of the existing UDISE (Unified District Information System for Education) dashboard of the Union Education Ministry as the information in Shiksha Setu is real-time whereas UDISE has a yearly update. With the technology gaining more acceptance and more data pouring into the system, the accuracy is only bound to increase.

Cutting edge technologies implemented at scale usually has lower success due to the legacy issues. But the government machinery under Samagra Shiksha Assam has ensured a smooth transition with ample support from the teachers and staff of these schools.

As many as 47 lakh students, more than two lakh teachers and 22,000 non-teaching staff have been on-boarded into the Shiksha Setu platform in a few months, thanks to the planned structure and mission mode of operation with dedicated targets given at different levels starting from State to district to block to cluster to individual schools. The State has covered nearly 44,000 schools, a big achievement given the scale and time it took to reach those numbers.

The benefits

Real-time attendance data enables timely interventions for students with prolonged absences, including communication with parents. The facial recognition feature helps identify and eliminate duplicate or fake student registrations, optimising resource allocation for schools.

Automation of school amalgamation suggestions based on real-time data streamlines a process that was previously manual. The system also eliminates the need for physical collection and submission of student migration and transfer certificates.

On the teacher management front, the system provides comprehensive data on attendance, retirement dates, and expertise, enabling the government to efficiently manage teacher deployment and retirement notifications. This wealth of data and the accompanying management systems empower the government to make data-informed policy decisions with targeted outcomes.

The success of the Shiksha Setu model in Assam has garnered interest from other States. Although the app is still a work-in-progress, it holds potential for additional functionalities.

These may encompass tracking sanctioned books, managing mid-day meals, administering scholarships, and implementing gender-specific aid in schools. Notably, students, teachers, and education department employees are effectively implementing it at the grassroots level.

The writer is the Chief Economist, Chief Minister’s secretariat, Government of Assam