In the first J&K to start GPS-based teacher’s attendance & students feedback above 6th class

Both apps are powerful tools to revolutionize the education sector: CS

Shyam Sood

Rajouri, Feb 7: On Tuesday UT of J&K has become first in the country to get online feedback from students (above class 6th) about their teacher’s performance and GPS- based daily attendance of the teachers.
In this connection Chief Secretary, Arun Kumar Mehta on Tuesday launched two applications in a ceremony also attended by Principal Secretary Education; MD, Samagra Shiksha; Director School Education Kashmir/Jammu; Director Estates; Secretary, JK BOSE; Director Finance, School Education Department and other concerned officers.
CS, Arun Kumar complimented the department for developing these applications and called them powerful tools to take the education sector towards much higher efficiency and accountability. “These applications would ensure that authentic feedback comes from the grassroots level from the ones who are directly involved in the learning process,” he said.
He urged the officers to monitor the progress at highest levels so that the results improve substantially.
He maintained that the teachers in government sector are best in terms of qualifications and trainings and they just needs to focus more on academic activities to ensure improved results.
The Chief Secretary advised the department to make this feedback a benchmark while analysing the annual performance reports of the teachers.
“Teachers, who perform well, and are punctual and who also receive good feedback from students should duly be recognized and rewarded by the department. Such teachers should be preferred in career progression and other recommendations” said Arun Kumar.
The system is named ‘SAMIKSHA’ and will reflect the true performance of the teachers with respect to their inputs in the actual classroom, leaving no space for subjectivity.
Student feedback forms are designed to get feedback from students on different teaching-learning techniques in the institution while the teachers are given unique usernames and passwords to verify their input and outcomes.
The comprehensive report will be visible to all levels viz-Teachers, HOIs, ZEO, CEO, DSEK/J, and at UT level in the hierarchy.
“The department has worked out some 25 parameters (questions) regarding teachers and school ambiance, out of which 2 are optional. The school and teacher-based questionnaire needs to be filled by the students once on monthly basis grading them on a 5-point scale with Excellent, Very Good, Good, Average, and Below Average results, as informed during the launch ceremony,” said an official.
Another app launched today was ‘JK Attendance-SED’ available for downloading on both Android and iOS.
The application will give a peek into the daily attendance of teachers to even Directors and CEOs. The application will capture live location of the employee with Geo Coordinates and even allow his/her time-specific tracking.
“The attendance system would reduce paperwork, save time/ resources & would eliminate duplicate data entries, and will also improve management of attendance across all schools. The employees can also use this application for leave requests online which will be sent automatically for approval and keep his/her leave account safe for viewing by the higher authorities, “said an official.
Chief Secretary also released ‘Whole School Safety’ manual & called it a very important document prepared by the department.
“The safety of our children is all important and should be given priority over every other concern. This document is important and provides holistic approach for keeping children safe against hazards” said CS Arun Kumar
“All of the digital applications besides the safety manual has been prepared in-house by the department employing its own personnel and resources. It’s a matter of pride that Directorate of Samagra Shiksha has trained Key Resource Persons in this regard,” said Principal Secretary, School Education, Alok Kumar .
“Necessary orientation of all CEOs/DIET principals and teachers as per the guidelines has also been done, which explicitly elaborate various kinds of vulnerabilities our children are exposed to and their remedies. The SOPs on the current pandemic viz-a-viz the role and responsibilities of every individual concerned makes the document a comprehensive reference document,” he added.
“The same is also an initiative of Samagra Shiksha which has been designed for creating a safe environment for children, starting from their homes to their schools and back,” says the manual.