Tracking students with biometrics

At their fingertips: Students of SMK Bandar Tenggara using the fingerprint scanner to check in at school.

KOTA TINGGI: A secondary school here is the first in the state to use a biometric fingerprinting system to keep track of its students and prevent them from playing truant.

Teachers are not spared either as all 82 of them are required to scan their fingerprints to keep their attendance in check.

SM Bandar Tenggara senior administrative assistant Haslina Mohd Bakri said the system was put in place at the start of the new school term on Jan 1.

“We have 728 students and since the system was implemented, the attendance record has been very good with more than 95%.

“Not only that, our students have been coming to the school earlier than before. This is very encouraging,” she said in an interview.

Haslina said the system allowed the school to check whether the students came to the school or not.

She said every morning and before school ends, the students have to scan their fingerprints on the system.

“It will automatically record their attendance.

“If a student skips school, the system automatically records it,” she said, adding that the system is connected to a mobile phone application with which parents can find out what time their children reached and left the school.

Haslina said that based on this information, they could inform the teachers in charge and take further action, including sending out letters to parents.

“We have five such scanners – one in the staff room for teachers, three near the school hall and one at the school gate.

“It is compulsory for everyone, from students to teachers, to scan their fingerprints when entering and leaving the school,” she said.