Assam launches automated SMS alert system to tackle student absenteeism

The Department of School Education, Assam, through the Shiksha Setu Application, tracks daily attendance for teachers and students.

As per a study conducted by UNICEF, it has been observed that there are issues of student absenteeism in schools due to various reasons, such as family issues, lack of awareness of parents, etc. To address the problem and improve student attendance, the Department of School Education launched a new, state-of-the-art Automated SMS-Based Absenteeism Alert System.

Assam Education Minister Dr Ranoj Pegu said this technology-driven initiative is a crucial step toward strengthening student attendance, promoting educational continuity, and enabling timely, focused interventions to mitigate dropout risk across all schools in the state. According to the Department of School Education, the system will trigger standardised SMS notifications for students who remain continuously absent for five consecutive days. These alerts will be automatically generated at fixed five-day intervals (i.e. on 5th, 10th, 15th ...days of absence) and will continue until the concerned student resumes attendance, ensuring persistent engagement with the family and school.

"Alerts are customized and will be sent simultaneously to two key stakeholders - Class Teachers: Class Teachers will receive focused alerts clearly mentioning the concerned student name, class and section, enabling them to contact the parents to bring the students back to school; Parents/Guardians: Parents will receive a direct and concise reminder regarding their child's continued absence, prompting them to send their child to school," the Department of School Education said in a press statement.

The press statement also stated that, in recognition of the state's linguistic diversity, the SMS alerts will be delivered in five official languages - Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Hindi and English. "To maximize reach and comprehension, messages in each district will be sent in a minimum of two relevant local languages, based on the geographical and demographic profile," said in the press statement. (ANI)