Daijiworld Media Network - Puttur

Puttur, Nov 23: Arun Kumar, a second-year commerce student of Kombettu Government Pre-University College in Puttur, has received the Chief Minister’s special award for inventing a new technology that records student attendance through facial recognition.

The award was presented by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at the state-level Children’s Day programme organised by the Department of School Education and Literacy in Bengaluru. He congratulated Arun for his innovation. During the programme held at Vidhana Soudha, the chief minister presented Arun with a cash prize of Rs 15,000.

Education minister Madhu Bangarappa, chief secretary Shalini Rajneesh, principal secretary of the education department Rashmi, and directors of the pre-university education department were present.

How it works

• The college has set the entry time between 9 am and 10 am. During this period, the device records attendance by recognising the faces of students as they arrive.

• When a student stands before the device, it displays the student's details along with parent information, and sends a Telegram message to the parents confirming that their ward has reached the college.

• If a student arrives late or is absent, a notification is sent as well. Similarly, when students leave between 3.30 pm and 4.30 pm, exit information is recorded and notified to their homes.

• This system also helps the school determine the exact number of students present each day, aiding in mid-day meal preparation.

Arun’s face-recognition attendance device has already drawn statewide attention. The pre-university education department has implemented the technology on a trial basis in selected districts.

Principal secretary Rashmi, impressed by Arun’s innovation, invited him to Bengaluru for a demonstration and personally congratulated him.

The project was guided by lecturer Ashlesh Kumar. Arun is the son of Vinod Kumar and Rajeshwari of Boluwara.