Biometric workforce management for Karnataka government schools

Following the successful pilot test of a workforce management facial recognition system in elementary schools in Bangalore, the government has decided to extend the system to all government colleges in Karnataka starting next year.

The Bangalore Department of Collegiate Education (DCE) contracted the new system from Bangalore-based Ipomo. This system is already being deployed in 16 additional colleges in Bangalore.

Reported in The Deccan Herald, this deployment has angered many teachers opposing the system, calling it intimidation and punishment.

“Lecturers are involved in a number of activities related to the college even after class hours. It is not as if we just run away from the premises. This measure has shaken the confidence and the trust between teachers and the principals,” an unnamed teacher said in the Deccan Herald report. “The system has been imposed upon us even without any consultation. It is bound to become a weapon to irritate teachers by the authorities. How can the goal of academic progress be achieved by such a measure?”

The system works by assigning unique identity PINs to teachers who enter it in on an Android phone, which then performs face recognition, and logs the data into a central system.

Reported previously in BiometricUpdate.com, the Karnataka Government College Doctorate Teachers’ Association has filed an objection to the DCE’s move to introduce biometric workforce management in government schools.

As we reported, teachers in government schools in Andhra Pradesh have threatened to strike against a proposed biometric attendance system.

Similarly, faculty members at Florida Gulf Coast University have twice voted to reject biometric fingerprinting for the school’s 1,000 employees.

 

Article Topics

facial recognition  |  government  |  government purchasing  |  workforce management