River in spate, Madhya Pradesh teachers on tubes to beat e-attendance clock

Bhopal: Six government school teachers in Madhya Pradesh's Bhind district are navigating the swollen Baisali river on inflatable tubes to ensure their students arrive on time for classes despite an e-attendance system that penalizes lateness. The teachers paddle and bob across the river to reach schools in Nadrauli and Sumer Singh Ka Pura villages in Bhind's Babedi area. A video of one teacher on an inflated tube has gone viral, highlighting the dangers faced by residents during heavy rains.

While the teachers manage to reach the schools, 100 students often miss their classes due to the monsoon conditions. The villages can only be reached by crossing the Baisali river, which lacks a bridge and transforms into a shallow, sandy brook during the monsoon. The overflowing river, which turns farms into flood-prone areas, forces teachers to commute via the tubes instead of their usual two-wheelers.

The attendance app, mandatory since January, triggers pay cuts for teachers who arrive late. Teachers complain that the app fails to accommodate natural disruptions, leading to potential salary reductions. Speaking to the source, a teacher said, "Earlier, we would wait for the waters to subside, which would take four to five hours. Now, the app doesn't understand anything."

District education officials claim they were unaware of the issue until recently and have formed a panel to suggest technical and practical improvements to the e-attendance system. The teachers urge the committee to consider building a bridge or seasonal paths, or granting reasonable exemptions from e-attendance timings during natural interruptions.