The Assam government's department of school education on Monday launched an automated SMS-based alert system aimed at reducing student absenteeism in government schools across the state.
Under the new system, an application used to monitor attendance will automatically send SMS alerts to parents and class teachers if a student remains absent for five consecutive days, officials said.
The initiative is integrated with the Shiksha Setu Application, through which the department tracks daily attendance of both teachers and students.
Officials said the data showed that students often miss school due to family-related issues, lack of parental awareness and other social factors.
To address these challenges and improve attendance, the department has rolled out what it described as a 'state-of-the-art Automated SMS-Based Absenteeism Alert System'.
'The technology-driven initiative is a crucial step toward strengthening student attendance, promoting educational continuity and enabling timely, focused intervention to mitigate dropout risks across all schools,' an official statement said.
The system will trigger standardised SMS notifications for students absent for five days in a row.
Alerts will be generated at fixed intervals -- on the 5th, 10th and 15th days of continuous absence -- and will continue until the student resumes classes.
The alerts will be sent simultaneously to two key stakeholders: Class teachers and parents or guardians. Teachers will receive messages mentioning the student's name, class and section, enabling them to contact families and encourage students to return to school.
Parents will receive concise reminders about their child's continued absence.
Taking into account Assam's linguistic diversity, the SMS alerts will be delivered in five languages: Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Hindi and English.
"In each district, messages will be sent in at least two local languages based on the area's demographic profile to ensure wider reach and better comprehension," officials said.
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