Bhubaneswar: In order to monitor attendance in colleges digitally, the Odisha Higher Education Department has introduced a Student Biometric Attendance System.

The system will be implemented through the Higher Education Management Information System (HIMS), with the pilot project beginning on Tuesday at 10 higher education institutions in the first phase.

Under the new system, students’ attendance will be recorded and verified digitally. Attendance verification will be carried out using GPS location and live photographs, according to the department.

The initiative is particularly significant for students availing benefits under the KG to PG Free Education Scheme, for whom a minimum attendance of 75 per cent is mandatory.

Officials of the department stated the pilot project will help the department assess the functioning of the system and gather feedback from participating institutions. Based on the experience and feedback from the pilot phase, the system will be further strengthened before being rolled out across other eligible higher education institutions in the state.