In a decisive move to shake up oversight mechanisms in madrasa education, the Aligarh district administration has made biometric attendance compulsory for all madrasa teachers, linking the release of monthly salaries directly to digital records.

District Magistrate Sanjiv Ranjan said the shift follows directives from the Uttar Pradesh government and forms part of a broader effort to streamline administrative processes and ensure that teaching staff remain present during official working hours. “The move is intended to bring greater transparency and accountability to the system,” he said.

The district minority office has confirmed that teachers’ pay will now be disbursed solely on the basis of biometric entries — a sharp departure from earlier protocols. The new framework applies uniformly to both government-aided and unaided institutions.

According to official data, Aligarh is home to 120 registered madrasas — four government-aided and 116 unaided. The aided institutions employ 55 teachers and serve around 14,000 students, while approximately 200 teachers in unaided madrasas cater to nearly 60,000 learners.

Authorities say the digital attendance system will cover every teaching staff member across these institutions.

Beyond attendance and payroll, the reform is being closely linked to rising concerns over security in educational environments. A minority office official said the biometric system is expected to bolster the safety of students and staff by strengthening monitoring mechanisms and eliminating discrepancies in presence records.

The administration also believes it will help boost confidence in the functioning of madrasa education and support future policy planning.

Meanwhile, a parallel survey aimed at identifying “illegal” or unregistered madrasas remains on hold. Ranjan confirmed that the exercise has been paused without a specified timeline for resumption, leaving institutions and educators awaiting further instructions from the state government.

For now, biometric attendance takes centre stage — a shift that signals the government’s push toward stricter scrutiny, stronger institutional discipline, and digitally enforced accountability across Aligarh’s madrasa network.