Bhubaneswar, August 26: The Odisha government is set to introduce a biometric attendance system through the Higher Education Information Management System (HIMS) to digitally record and monitor student attendance in higher education institutions across the state.

The initiative is being introduced primarily for students covered under the ‘Gyanodaya – Education to Prosperity’ scheme, under which beneficiaries are required to maintain a minimum of 75% class attendance.

The pilot project commenced on August 25, with 10 higher education institutions selected for the first phase. The system will facilitate student registration, biometric data collection, attendance recording and synchronization of attendance data with HIMS. Based on the outcome of the pilot, the system is expected to be expanded to other eligible institutions across the state.

10 institutions selected for pilot

The pilot will be implemented at MPC Autonomous College in Mayurbhanj, Vikram Dev University in Jeypore, Utkal University at Vani Vihar, Model Degree College in Boudh, Government Degree College in Tentulikhunti, Udayanath Autonomous College in Adaspur, B.J.B. Autonomous College in Bhubaneswar, Kantabanji Vocational Degree College in Balangir, Bhadrak Autonomous College and Prananath Autonomous College in Khordha.

Geo-tagged attendance mandatory

Under the new system, attendance cannot be recorded from outside the college campus. The institution must be geo-tagged, and the employee's mobile GPS location must fall within the designated geographical boundary of the campus for attendance to be recorded. A live photograph will also be mandatory.

Teachers will first record their own Self-Attendance through the HIMS app. They will then access Academics → Attendance, select the relevant class and mark students as Present (P) or Absent (A). A live photograph of the class must be captured before the attendance is submitted.

Officials will assess the pilot based on feedback and practical experience and make necessary improvements before finalizing the system. The government subsequently plans to extend the digital attendance mechanism to other eligible higher education institutions across Odisha.