In the absence of a centrally monitored attendance system, accountability in nursing education is weakened and compliance becomes difficult to enforce. This leads to issues:

  • For students: Competency is compromised as some may graduate without completing the required classroom hours or clinical exposure.
  • For regulators: Lack of real-time, centralised monitoring reduces visibility and makes it difficult to enforce standards or take timely corrective action.
  • For employers: students with low competency graduate without minimum clinical hours compromising on workforce quality.

Similarly, the National Nursing and Midwifery Commission (NNMC) Act, 2023 allows The Nursing and Midwifery Undergraduate and Postgraduate Education Board to determine the minimum requirements and standards of nursing and midwifery education and examination at undergraduate level and postgraduate level. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 calls for the use of technology to improve governance, ensure accountability, and enhance student learning outcomes. A technology-enabled attendance monitoring system linked to the state nursing council is the most direct way to meet these policy mandates, improve discipline, & guarantee that every graduate entering the workforce has undergone the required academic & clinical training.

To ensure strict compliance with mandated student and faculty attendance, and stop admitting non-attending students in nursing and midwifery institutes.

The National Nursing and Midwifery Commission (NNMC) Act, 2023 emphasizes set requirements for nursing and midwifery education and examination. Attendance systems that support this, must therefore uphold the following principles to ensure that both students and faculty consistently meet the minimum requirements for high-quality nursing training:

  • Standardisation: Every student must meet prescribed classroom and clinical posting hours before being allowed to sit for examinations.
  • Faculty accountability: Teacher attendance is as critical as student attendance; faculty presence directly affects instructional quality, mentoring, and clinical training.
  • Technology-enabled monitoring: Attendance should be tracked through biometric or digital systems linked to a central authority, ensuring authenticity and real-time visibility.
  • Transparency and fairness: Records must be tamper-proof, accessible for audit, and consistently applied across all institutes to prevent manipulation.

  • Notify a state policy mandating biometric attendance for all nursing and midwifery institutes.

  • Issue a formal letter from the State nursing council to the designated state agency for IT implementation. The letter should authorize the agency to design, deploy, and manage the biometric attendance system across all nursing and midwifery institutes.

  • Design detailed wireframes for the biometric attendance dashboard.

  • Conduct a thorough assessment of all nursing and midwifery institutes to verify readiness for implementing the biometric attendance system. This includes ensuring availability of biometric devices, internet connectivity, power backup, and secure data storage systems.

  • Organize training workshops for institute staff, faculty, and relevant personnel to ensure they understand the new processes and tools.

    • Additional guidelines for biometric attendance - Criteria for Marking a Student 'Present': Students will be marked 'Present' if they punch-in before 9 am and punch-out after 4 pm. A buffer time of 15 minutes will be provided.

    • Additional guidelines for biometric attendance - Exemption for Clinical Rotations: Students are exempt from marking their biometric attendance on days when their clinical rotations are scheduled. Adjustment in the attendance percentage of students will be made at the end of the academic year

  • Provide institutes with the necessary credentials to access the dashboard. Simultaneously, track and ensure that the minimum attendance requirements are being met, enabling accurate monitoring and compliance with the new system.

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