Sindh introduces new system to monitor student attendance

The Sindh government has introduced a new technology-based system to monitor student attendance and address complaints in public schools.

The initiative – Student Attendance Monitoring System (SAMRS) – was launched during a meeting chaired by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Tuesday. The meeting was attended by Education Minister Syed Sardar Shah, Chief Secretary Syed Asif Hyder Shah, and other senior officials.

Speaking at the meeting, the chief minister said the system would help identify the causes of student absenteeism and ensure timely measures to address educational challenges.

“The Student Attendance Monitoring System will serve as a tool to diagnose flaws in teaching and improve educational performance,” Shah said.

He described SAMRS as a historic initiative of the School Education and Literacy Department, developed under the Sindh Early Learning Enhancement Through Classroom Transformation Project. Initially, the system will be implemented in 600 schools across 12 districts before being expanded across the province.

The chief minister added that the project, developed with the support from the World Bank and the Global Partnership for Education, aims to integrate technology into the education sector to enhance efficiency and accountability.

Commenting on the initiative taken by the Sindh government, former vice chancellor of Sindh Madressatul Islam University, Karachi, Dr Mohammad Ali Shaikh said, “Integrating information technology with the school attendance system is a welcome move that will help reduce the number of school dropouts. The need is to implement the new system with sincerity and earnestness.”

Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah briefed the meeting saying, the SAMRS is a technology-driven solution designed to reduce dropout rate and monitor the performance of teachers and students.

He said, the system will operate through an offline mobile application to collect daily attendance and key information from schools. “This revolutionary step will not only track attendance but also highlight reasons for absenteeism,” he added.

The education minister said the project, initially covering 12 districts, would gradually be extended to all schools across Sindh. He added that the system would serve as a model for South Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

A formal provincial launch ceremony will be held soon, to be attended by representatives of the World Bank and other partners.