Warangal,01.08.2025 : In a major step towards transparency and accountability in the education system, the School Education Department has mandated facial recognition attendance (FRS) for all government school teachers across Hanumakonda and Warangal districts, effective from today (Friday).
Following the success of a pilot program launched in Peddapalli district last year, the state has decided to implement FRS attendance in all government schools, Zilla Parishad schools, KGBVs (Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas), model schools, Urban Residential Schools (URS), and institutions under TGREIS (Telangana Gurukulam).
Teachers Must ‘Show Face’ Twice Daily
Under this new system, teachers must now mark attendance through the Director of School Education Facial Recognition System (DSE FRS) mobile app. The attendance must be recorded twice daily — before the start of school in the morning and after the completion of school hours in the evening.
For primary schools (PS), the working hours are from 9 AM to 4 PM. The same timing applies to upper primary and high schools. Teachers must register themselves in the app using the appropriate module (teacher or non-teaching staff), upload their photograph, and provide relevant school details. Once registered, attendance must be marked daily using the geotag-enabled app within the school premises.
Monitoring and Review at the Highest Level
District Collectors and DEOs will monitor attendance data in real-time through dedicated dashboards. Hanumakonda Collector Sneha Shabarish is already conducting surprise inspections in schools with low student attendance and is expected to extend this scrutiny to teachers.
Senior officials from the School Education Department in Hyderabad are also expected to monitor compliance statewide.
Curbing Absenteeism and Dummy Attendance
The move is seen as a step to check absenteeism and ensure teacher accountability, especially in rural areas. There have been allegations that some teachers posted in remote locations either arrive late or leave early, and in some cases, don’t report to duty at all. The FRS system aims to curb such irregularities and improve overall attendance discipline.
Four-Day Window for Registration
The DSE FRS app, already in use for student attendance in many schools, will now also serve teachers and non-teaching staff. A four-day window has been given for completion of registration across all institutions.
While the student FRS system is still not fully implemented in all schools, the government is taking a stricter approach with teachers to ensure consistency and transparency.
With the facial recognition system now in place, education authorities are hoping for better attendance tracking and improved discipline in the teaching community.
