Boycott online attendance is trending online. Here's why UP teachers are protesting

Thousands of teachers from Uttar Pradesh's government primary and upper primary schools have taken to social media to protest against the Basic Shiksha Parishad's decision to implement a digital attendance system. The hashtag #boycottonlineattendance has been trending on X (formerly Twitter) for the past two days, garnering over half a million tweets. This massive online protest has caused significant concern among top officials of the education department.

Teachers' Concerns Over Digital Attendance
As per X posts, the teachers' main grievance is the mandatory requirement to mark their attendance digitally, including their location, 15 minutes before the start of regular classes. Teachers online claimed that as per rules they were required to reach their schools by 7:30 am and mark their attendance between 7:45 am and 8:00 am before classes began.

Challenges in Remote Areas
Teachers argue that poor internet connectivity in remote villages makes it difficult to mark attendance online. During the rainy season, many schools become waterlogged, further complicating timely attendance. Teachers fear that arriving late due to these issues would result in being marked absent and having leave deducted.


Department's Response and Teachers' Reaction
In response to the backlash, the Basic Education Department attempted to pacify teachers through social media. They assured that teachers could mark their attendance up to 30 minutes late and required only to provide a reason for the delay. However, this has not entirely alleviated the teachers' concerns.

Calls for Understanding and Flexibility
Teachers have expressed their frustration with the new system, emphasising the need for understanding rather than strict enforcement. One teacher's post highlighted the importance of addressing problems instead of suppressing dissent.