In the notices issued to the deceased teachers, the department sought their explanation for zero attendance, despite October 2025 having 17 working days. The teachers were given three days to file their replies, with the department cautioning that unsatisfactory responses could also lead to pay cuts.

Blaming the principals of the concerned schools in Mauganj district for the lapse, Rewa district education officer Ram Raj Mishra said, “The letters were issued based on the data of teachers secured from the special portal containing the details of teachers. The lapse happened as the data on the concerned portal wasn’t updated by the concerned schools’ principals through the block education officers (BEOs). Such cases are very few and the process has been initiated for updating the records on the concerned portal.”

Importantly, the department has intensified monitoring under the newly implemented e-attendance system by sending stern cautions to teachers who are not regular at schools. Defaulter teachers are being given three days to explain why they were not marking their attendance on the mobile app.

While the school education department has moved ahead with sternly implementing e-attendance to ensure accountability and improve the quality of education in schools, administrators appear to have overlooked the need to update teachers’ records digitally before issuing notices to alleged defaulters.