Patna: Regular school attendance is set to become increasingly important for students studying in government and government-aided schools across Bihar, as the Education Department has directed schools to update attendance and family income details on the e-Shikshakosh portal for beneficiary schemes.
Under the new process, students who recorded 75% or more attendance between April 1 and September 30 will have ‘Yes’ marked against their names on the portal. Students with attendance below 75% will be marked ‘No’.
The information will be used in the further processing of payments under various beneficiary schemes.
e-Shikshakosh to Determine Eligibility
According to the Education Department’s instructions, the entire process will be carried out through the e-Shikshakosh portal.
School principals will access the details of enrolled students through their login and enter the appropriate Yes or No status based on each student’s attendance.
This means school enrolment alone will not be sufficient for the relevant beneficiary schemes. Students will also need to meet the prescribed attendance requirement.
Schools have also been directed to update the details of all enrolled students on the portal along with information regarding their family’s annual income.
Family Income Limit Also Prescribed
Attendance is not the only criterion being recorded for the beneficiary schemes.
According to the departmental instructions, if a student’s annual family income is up to Rs 1.50 lakh, ‘Yes’ will be entered on the portal. If the annual family income is above Rs 1.50 lakh, the status will be marked ‘No’.
Thus, two key details will be recorded for the beneficiary process — the student’s attendance and the annual income of the family.
Both sets of information will be updated on e-Shikshakosh before the process moves to the next stage.
Principals to Submit Student Data
Once the information of all students has been entered at the school level, the headmaster or principal will submit the data through the portal.
The information will then move to the login of the concerned Block Education Officer (BEO) for verification.
Officials at the block level will examine the student data. If the information is found to be correct, it will be approved.
If any discrepancy or error is detected, the data will be rejected and sent back to the school’s login for correction.
After making the necessary corrections, the school will resubmit the information for verification.
Final Approval at District Level
After the block-level verification is completed, the data will be forwarded to the login of the District Programme Officer (Planning and Accounts).
Officials at the district level will conduct the final verification and approval of the student information.
Only after the data receives approval at the district level will the process for payment under the relevant beneficiary schemes move forward.
The multi-level verification system is intended to ensure that only accurate and verified student data is used for processing scheme payments.
Funds to Be Transferred Through PFMS
After final approval of the data, the eligible beneficiary scheme amount will be transferred through the Public Financial Management System (PFMS).
The money will be sent directly to the concerned student’s bank account.
The online system is designed to ensure that the student’s details are checked at the school, block and district levels before payment is processed.
Students and Parents Need to Keep Details Updated
The new process increases the responsibility of schools to maintain accurate attendance records and ensure that student information is updated on the e-Shikshakosh portal.
For students and parents, regular attendance and accurate family-income information will become particularly important in the beneficiary scheme process.
The key message for students is clear: maintaining at least 75% attendance may be essential for eligibility under the prescribed beneficiary scheme process, while the family’s annual income must also fall within the specified limit.
