Development

Face-recognition attendance for government school students and teachers

In November 2024 the Education Department said that from January 2025 more than three crore students in Bihar's government schools would mark attendance by facial recognition on tablets, to stop inflated rolls for mid-day meals and other benefits. Teachers' face-recognition attendance on the e-Shikshakosh app began in December 2024. The student roll-out came later, with a BEPC attendance app and teacher training in late 2025 and a trial from early 2026. District reports in 2026 show it in use but well short of every school and student.

AIEducationBihar, India

Stage: Operational
Confidence: High
Latest news: 13 Sept 2026
Sources: 7 cited

Journey so far

The highlighted step is the current stage. Not every development passes through every step.

Announcement onlyAnnounced
Agreement approvedApproved
Agreement finalisedFinalised
Programme or pilot initiatedInitiated
Operational (current stage)Operational (current stage)
Outcome verifiedVerified

Good to know: Running in schools but well short of the announced statewide coverage, on district-level evidence only.

50%

Details confirmed so far5 of 10 tracked details

What's confirmed

5 facts backed by sources

In November 2024 the Education Department announced face-recognition attendance for more than three crore students in Bihar's 75,000 government schools from January 2025, and said a trial run had been completed.
Teachers' face-recognition in-and-out attendance on e-Shikshakosh began on 2 December 2024.
BEPC's student attendance app was developed through Entrolab IT Solutions, with training for head teachers and nodal teachers from December 2025.
In January 2026 the department decided on a three-month trial before permanent use.
By 2026 the system was in use but incomplete: 67 schools in West Champaran (February), attendance recorded for 57.6% of 5.8 lakh registered students in Katihar (August), and 69% student registration in Bhagalpur (September).

Still to be confirmed

5 things to watch for

Statewide coverage. No state figure for schools or students using face-recognition attendance has been published; the January 2025 target for three crore students has not been reported met.
The Katihar 57.6% is attendance among registered students on the day measured, not coverage of all students, and should not be read as a coverage rate.
Which software performs the face matching, its accuracy, and the cost of the tablets and app.
How the face images of minors are stored, for how long, and under what consent. No data-protection notice has been found.
Whether student attendance runs on e-Shikshakosh or on the separate BEPC attendance app; reports describe both.

How it unfolded (7)

Each step as a dated source records it, oldest first

Nov 2024Announcement
The Education Department's additional chief secretary said students would mark attendance by facial recognition from January, after a completed trial run, with tablets supplied to schools.
The Indian Express
2 Dec 2024Programme initiated
Teachers' in-and-out face-recognition attendance began on the e-Shikshakosh app, with photos required from the school premises.
Dainik Jagran
Nov 2025Programme initiated
BEPC issued a 'Bihar Attendance App' built through Entrolab IT Solutions for students' face-recognition attendance and scheduled training for head teachers and nodal teachers; in Bhagalpur, 4,040 teachers from 2,020 schools on 2-3 December.
Dainik Jagran
10 Jan 2026Programme initiated
The January start stalled where the agency had not uploaded student data, and the department decided to run facial attendance on a three-month trial basis first.
Live Hindustan (Hindustan, Katihar)
Feb 2026Pilot
West Champaran reported only 67 schools recording student attendance by facial recognition, and the department ordered all schools to comply.
Live Hindustan (Hindustan, Bettiah)
Aug 2026Operational
Katihar reported 5,81,308 students registered on FRS with attendance recorded for 3,34,584 (57.6%), and only 5,130 of 15,268 registered teachers recorded; the district magistrate set a three-day deadline for full use.
Live Hindustan (Hindustan, Katihar)
13 Sept 2026Operational
Bhagalpur reported 69% of students in its 2,021 schools registered since January, with 4,304 tablets supplied, but 9,786 of 18,631 students in its 21 model schools not yet registered.
Dainik Jagran

Sources (7)

Who reported it, when, and what they cover

Publisher	Published	Covers	Link
The Indian Express Established news	5 Nov 2024	• Announcement made on Saturday • January target for over three crore students • Trial run completed; tablets for e-Shikshakosh attendance • 75,000 government schools	Open source (opens in a new tab)
Dainik Jagran Established news	2 Dec 2024	• Teachers' in-and-out face-recognition attendance on e-Shikshakosh started from Monday	Open source (opens in a new tab)
Dainik Jagran Established news	28 Nov 2025	• BEPC Bihar Attendance App developed through Entrolab IT Solutions • Training of 4,040 teachers from 2,020 Bhagalpur schools on 2-3 December	Open source (opens in a new tab)
Live Hindustan (Hindustan, Bettiah) Established news	5 Feb 2026	• Only 67 West Champaran schools recording student FRS attendance • Order to all schools to record attendance by tablet immediately • Date from the publisher timestamp in the URL; no byline date on the page	Open source (opens in a new tab)
Live Hindustan (Hindustan, Katihar) Established news	4 Aug 2026	• Katihar FRS registration and attendance figures • District magistrate's three-day deadline • Date from the publisher timestamp in the URL; no byline date on the page	Open source (opens in a new tab)
Dainik Jagran Established news	13 Sept 2026	• 69% of Bhagalpur students registered since January • 4,304 tablets supplied • 9,786 of 18,631 model-school students not registered	Open source (opens in a new tab)
Live Hindustan (Hindustan, Katihar) Established news	10 Jan 2026	• January student facial-attendance start stalled; agency had not uploaded all student data • Department decided on a three-month trial • Date from the publisher timestamp in the URL	Open source (opens in a new tab)

Record ID: BIHAR-AI-2024-11-001Dataset last checked 18 Oct 2026Spotted an error? Report a correctionHow corrections work