KUWAIT CITY, Nov 3: The Ministry of Education has implemented a fingerprint attendance system across all employees in its departments and schools, following directives from the Council of Ministers and the Civil Service Commission. Recently, the Ministry allowed technical supervisors to clock in and out via fingerprint devices in the schools they oversee. According to educational sources, the Ministry has reprogrammed fingerprint devices to enable supervisors to record their attendance at both their assigned schools and their primary workplace.

The new setup allows technical supervisors to register their presence at either their main office or any school they supervise, as per the schedule approved by the lead technical supervisor and the general supervisor for the subject area. This schedule is submitted to the relevant authorities, who then update the fingerprint system to include the designated schools for each supervisor in addition to their primary location.

These adjustments aim to ease the burden on supervisors, particularly those tasked with overseeing schools located far from their main office. Previously, some supervisors avoided tasks until they could verify attendance at their primary location. This recent change now allows them to confirm attendance at any of their supervised schools, thus reducing the need to travel back to their original workplace solely for attendance purposes.

The Ministry is also reviewing and assessing the fingerprint system for all employees, monitoring related challenges and obstacles across various departments and roles. This information is being collected for a comprehensive study to guide further improvements in coordination with the Civil Service Bureau.

Sources noted that the Teachers Association recently addressed Acting Minister of Education, Dr. Nader Al-Jalal (prior to the appointment of the new Minister of Education, Sayed Jalal Al-Tabtabaei), about implementing a more flexible fingerprint system for employees within the technical guidance department. In a response dated October 8, the Minister confirmed that supervisors could use fingerprint devices according to their study plans for supervised schools, in addition to their main work location.

The Teachers Association previously proposed a smart and adaptable fingerprint system that aligns with the approved work plans for four specific roles: district managers, educational affairs managers, supervisors, and technical supervisors. The association emphasized the need to consider the challenges faced by employees working in large, spread-out regions.