Biometric attendance made compulsory for madrasa teachers in Aligarh

The Aligarh district administration has made biometric attendance compulsory for all madrasa teachers across the district, marking a significant shift in the way these institutions are monitored.

Officials said on Thursday that the new attendance system will directly determine the disbursement of teachers’ salaries, ensuring greater transparency and accountability.

District Magistrate Sanjiv Ranjan said the move follows instructions issued by the Uttar Pradesh government. He explained that the decision is part of a wider effort to streamline administrative processes in educational institutions and ensure that teaching staff remain present during working hours.

Ranjan also addressed questions regarding the ongoing effort to identify 'illegal madrasas' operating in the district.

He said the survey has currently been placed on hold, and no



timeline has yet been provided for when the investigation into unregistered institutions will resume. The temporary pause has left both teachers and administrators waiting for further instructions.

The district minority office has confirmed that salaries will now be released strictly on the basis of biometric attendance records. This marks a shift from previous practices and is intended to strengthen oversight in both government-aided and unaided institutions.

According to the latest data, Aligarh has 120 registered madrasas, of which four are government-aided and 116 unaided. The government-aided madrasas employ 55 teachers and cater to around 14,000 students.

Meanwhile, unaided institutions operate with 200 teachers and educate nearly 60,000 students. Officials said the new biometric system will apply uniformly to teachers across all these institutions.