Strict Attendance Guidelines & Monitoring Measures Issued for Schools in Assam for Academic Session 2025-26

In line with directives from the School Education Department, a series of district-level meetings were held between District Education Officers (DEOs) and school heads across Assam to discuss preparations for the upcoming academic session 2025–26. Following these meetings, various district officials, including Inspectors of Schools (ISs), District Elementary Education Officers (DEEOs), and district mission coordinators of Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), issued a fresh set of guidelines aimed at tightening attendance and operational discipline in schools.

The new guidelines emphasize punctuality and accountability for both teaching and non-teaching staff. Teachers are required to arrive at school before 9:00 a.m. and leave only as per the designated school hours for their respective categories. Attendance logs must be accurately maintained using the Shiksha Setu app, including both check-in and check-out times. If a teacher arrives late for three consecutive days, one day’s casual leave will be deducted. In the absence of sufficient leave balance, a one-day pay cut will be enforced.

Class teachers are made personally responsible for taking student attendance, which the school head must verify daily. In the event of network issues preventing app usage, geo-tagged group photos shared in official WhatsApp groups will serve as attendance records.

Specific school timings have also been reiterated—Lower Primary (LP) schools must operate until 2:05 p.m., while Middle English (ME), Middle Vernacular (MV), High School (HS), and Higher Secondary School (HSS) levels are required to remain open until 3:25 p.m.

Non-teaching staff must report to school by 10:00 a.m. and remain on campus until 4:30 p.m. to assist with any administrative duties or official documentation.

Postgraduate (PG) teachers are instructed to engage in classroom teaching at the high school level, and school timetables must be adjusted accordingly. Additionally, heads of schools are tasked with ensuring full compliance with these directives and are required to maintain hard copies of attendance and teaching schedules for inspection.

To avoid disruption to school operations, principals, headmasters, and teachers are barred from visiting IS or DEEO offices before 3:00 p.m.

The circular also stresses the importance of finalizing all new admissions across government, provincialized, recognized, venture, and private schools by April 10, 2025. The corresponding promotion and enrollment data must be updated in the Shiksha Setu portal by April 12.

Student attendance will now play a crucial role in determining eligibility for government-provided benefits. Irregular students risk being automatically removed from the school rolls and losing access to facilities offered by the Government of Assam.

To ensure proper monitoring, Block Elementary Education Officers (BEEOs) have been instructed to assign 5 to 10 schools to each block-level functionary. These officials will oversee student attendance, verify records in the Shiksha Setu portal, and contact the guardians of frequently absent students to ensure regular attendance.

These measures aim to promote discipline, accountability, and smooth functioning of schools in the new academic year.