Patna: The Bihar education department has introduced new rules to keep a closer watch on government school teachers. Additional Chief Secretary Dr S Siddharth has instructed district education officers that schools must now send photos of teachers along with details of daily activities. These include awareness sessions, mid-day meals, classes in science and ICT labs, and even the condition of school toilets. The aim is to ensure teachers are attending school on time and not leaving after just marking attendance.
The department said its Command and Control Centre will collect these photos from time to time. Headmasters and teachers have been told to cooperate fully. If they have any doubts about calls requesting photos, they can confirm by contacting the official helpline numbers. The order comes after repeated complaints that teachers in some schools were not present for full working hours. Officials warned that strict action will be taken if teachers are found missing from duty despite recording their presence.
One complaint from Siwan district has highlighted the seriousness of the issue. A villager from Raghunathpur alleged that a teacher at High School cum Inter College, Ms Geetanjali, was often absent but still marked her attendance through a mobile app. The complaint said she sometimes reached school as late as 11 or 12 in the morning and left around 2pm. At times she did not attend at all. The villager claimed that the teacher left her phone with a relative near the school, who marked her attendance daily. He also alleged that when the headmaster questioned her, the teacher and her relatives threatened him.
The villager provided photos as evidence, showing irregularities in the attendance system. In some cases, the teacher’s morning and evening attendance photos had different clothes, and sometimes even a man’s photo was recorded instead. The department’s checks also found that her attendance location was regularly shown hundreds of metres away from the school. The complainant said district officials were aware of the problem but no action was being taken because of the teacher’s influential relatives. He asked for his identity to remain secret, fearing for his safety.
Officials said such cases show why stricter monitoring is necessary. The new rule of sending photos is meant to improve accountability in government schools and restore public confidence. The education department has also reminded district officers to take disciplinary action against teachers who are found guilty of absenteeism.
