The Department of School Education and Literacy (DSEL) has launched the ‘Karnataka Advanced Attendance Management System (Kartavya-KAAMS) to identify and monitor the attendance of permanent teaching and non-teaching staff and officers.

The Kartavya-KAAMS is an artificial intelligence (AI) and geographic information system (GIS) enabled facial recognition mobile app.

It is mandatory for teaching and non-teaching staff to register attendance twice a day on the app from the place where they are on duty from the academic year 2026-27.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, in the State Budget for 2025-26, had announced that the Kartavya-KAAMS would be implemented in all departments.

State government employees can download this mobile application and register with the KGID number registered in HRMS and record attendance at their place of duty.

The DSEL is the largest department of the State government, and a large number of permanent teachers are working in government primary and high schools, and as staff in offices. However, the monitoring of attendance, which is being done through a physical or decentralised mechanism, is not administratively efficient and consistent.

For the continuous professional development of teachers and to ensure improvement in the quality of education, effective implementation of government policies and educational reforms, training programmes are being implemented to enhance subject knowledge, academic skills and professional competencies. These training programmes are conducted at various centres at the State, District and Block levels.

In addition, the DSEL conducts the secure evaluation process of SSLC exam answer sheets at the district level at various evaluation centres.

Using this mobile app ensures the identification of the attendance of authorised permanent staff through secure login with facial recognition of the staff, officials said, adding that the attendance is reflected on the department dashboard, and reports are sent to the higher authorities of the department swiftly.

“Steps have been taken to identify the attendance in a way that leaves no room for irregularities and corrections, with the help of modern technologies such as GIS and AI,” reads the order.

In addition, the departmental competent authorities have been asked to use the data reports for teacher performance analysis, assignment of teachers, rationalization of staff, and payment of salaries.

Teachers, SDMC welcome move

This move has been welcomed by teachers and the School Development and Monitoring Committee (SDMC).

“The government’s move to implement the Kartavya-KAAMS mobile app for the attendance of teachers and staff is right. However, the government should take appropriate steps to ensure that the personal information of teachers is not leaked or hacked in any way,” the headmaster of a government school in Bengaluru said.

G. Umesh Gangavadi, State president of SDMC, said, “The government is also planning to implement a facial recognition attendance system for school children. However, teacher attendance is important in schools, and the government was urged to implement a facial recognition system for teacher attendance before students. It is good that the government is now implementing attendance of teachers and staff through a separate mobile app.”