Telangana schools must log attendance by facial recognition in 100% attendance drive

Telangana’s School Education Department declared November 2026 a “Special Attendance Month,” ordering all government schools to reach 100% attendance among students, teachers and staff on working days, Elets Technomedia reported Nov. 1. Schools must record daily presence through face-scan attendance devices, fix technical problems with the devices, phone parents of students absent five or more consecutive days and send weekly progress reports to District Education Officers. The order, issued by School Education Director E. Naveen Nicolas, builds on an August 2025 mandate by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy making biometric attendance compulsory in government schools, colleges and universities; it also tells officials not to pressure students who are genuinely ill.