Patna: The Patna University has started to install biometric attendance machines around its campuses and the administrative block to maintain proper attendance records of its employees.

The machines have been installed at the postgraduate departments, and Magadh Mahila College and Patna Women's College. Work is on at the other constituent colleges of the university and it is expected to be done by the end of this month.

Vice-chancellor Rash Bihari Prasad Singh said: "The Patna University administration, based on University Grants Commission and Raj Bhavan directives, has started the process to install biometric machines for teachers' attendance. The machines have been installed at Magadh Mahila College, Patna Women's College and postgraduate departments in the first phase. Rest of the work will be completed soon."

Magadh Mahila College teacher Suheli Mehta said: "The university has introduced the biometric attendance system with facial recognition features. Teaching and non-teaching employees have to record their attendance twice, once when they arrive in the morning and next when they leave, by standing before the machines. Teachers have no alternative but follow the directive as it comes straight from the chancellor's office."

A postgraduate teacher in the university's history department, however, said this biometric process has created problems. The teacher said: "As Patna University suffers from teachers' crunch, many faculty members like me take postgraduate and undergraduate courses. In the morning my attendance is marked in the postgraduate department so I have to come back to the postgraduate wing in the evening after I am done with my undergraduate classes."

The teacher added that the university has not issued any time schedule for attendance.

An official looking at the biometric attendance of teachers and non-teaching employees said on condition of anonymity: "All such issues will be checked once the university completes the process of installing the machines."