The location- and face-based Karnataka Advanced Attendance Management System (KAAMS) for government school teachers has drawn mixed reactions in Ballari district. While parents have largely welcomed the move, some teachers have sought an extension of the 15-minute grace period, citing difficulty in reaching schools in villages without transport facilities.
Implementation of KAAMS
The app-based attendance system for government primary and secondary school teachers was implemented across the district on May 30. Under the new system, teachers must mark attendance twice a day using location and facial verification within the stipulated time. The state government has also announced plans to introduce AI-based attendance for students within a month.
Rules and Penalties
According to guidelines, teachers reporting beyond the prescribed time will have the day treated as casual leave. Early check-out before completion of school hours will be marked as ‘early departure’ and treated as dereliction of duty, attracting a half-day leave deduction. If a teacher checks out well before the official closing time without prior permission, the second half will be treated as half-day casual leave. In the absence of casual leave balance, it will be converted into earned leave or leave without pay.
The rules also state that arriving late and leaving early on three occasions in a month will lead to a deduction of one day of casual leave. Repeated early check-outs without prior intimation or approval will be treated as unauthorised absence, following which a show-cause notice may be issued at the BEO or DDPI level. Such instances will also impact service records and annual increments.
Teacher Concerns and Parent Support
According to the education department, teachers will be allowed to check in by 9:55 am or 10 am if the school starts at 9:45 am. DDPI B Umadevi said the location- and face-based system had been introduced for teachers and that staff must report within the prescribed time as per departmental instructions, failing which action would be taken.
The move follows allegations that some government school teachers drew salaries despite not attending regularly. There were also claims that some managed attendance through arrangements with headmasters, while others stayed away citing organisational activities. While the system has received strong support from parents, Basavanagouda Tondihal of Govt Higher Primary School, Toranagallu, said reaching villages without transport on time was difficult and suggested extending the current 15-minute grace period to 30 minutes.
Monitoring and Impact
With schools set to reopen on June 1, public education department officials are closely monitoring the impact of the new attendance system.
