Guyana’s schools are preparing to implement biometric tracking to monitor teacher arrival and departure times. With the Ministry of Education emphasising transparency over discipline, we dive into the pros, the cons, and the digital alternatives that could define the future of school accountability.
In early 2026, the Guyana Ministry of Education announced the implementation of a biometric attendance system in schools to accurately track teacher movements. This initiative, as detailed in the Kaieteur News article, aims to strengthen accountability and ensure that the government’s investment in education translates into consistent classroom instruction. The Minister of Education emphasised that the introduction of biometrics was not a punitive measure, but rather a way to ensure “transparency and accurate information” to improve student outcomes and curriculum delivery.
Below, we discuss the use of biometrics for teacher monitoring. The pros and cons of this approach, alternative digital solutions and the potential cost implications are also highlighted.
Pros and cons of biometric attendance monitoring
The primary goal of using biometrics (such as fingerprint scanners or facial recognition) in schools is to eliminate ‘buddy punching’, where one person signs in for another, and manual errors that can occur using paper-based logbooks. By linking a biological trait to a timestamp, the Ministry intends to gather real-time data on whether teachers are present and punctual. As the article suggests, the focus is on “accountability“—ensuring that the investment in the education sector translates into actual classroom instruction time.
The use of biometric data offers a critical benefit: it is unique to the individual, making it nearly impossible to falsify attendance records. Hence, the data being analysed by the Ministry is a true reflection of school operations. Further, the use of a digital platform allows data to be transmitted seamlessly and accurately within seconds to the Ministry of Education or across the education system. Additionally, in collecting data, there would be the opportunity to identify “attendance patterns”, which could be a basis for the Ministry to provide additional resources or support where needed.
On the other hand, implementing a biometric system as outlined can signal a lack of trust from the administration, which may (further) demoralise educators who feel their professional integrity is being reduced to a digital timestamp. Privacy and surveillance concerns also ought to be considered, as many teachers may view biometric tracking as an invasive form of government surveillance. Collecting sensitive biological data (fingerprints or face scans) raises concerns about how that data is stored and who has access to it, especially when, as at the time of writing, Guyana’s Data Protection Act 2023 has not yet come into force.
Further, it is important to highlight two key vulnerabilities of biometric systems. First, they can experience technical failures, such as power outages, poor internet connectivity, or hardware malfunctions (e.g., scanners not reading a fingerprint due to dust or wear). In rural or hinterland schools, these technical hurdles could be more pronounced. Second, the security risk should not be underestimated. If a biometric database is hacked, the data cannot be ‘changed’ like a password, which creates a permanent security risk for the individuals involved.
Attendance versus quality education
According to the Minister, implementing a biometric attendance system will “ensure quality teaching and better outcomes for students” (Source: Kaieteur News). However, while teacher attendance at schools is important, it does not automatically guarantee quality teaching and better student outcomes. Teacher education quality, teacher aptitude and attitude, the quality and availability of teaching and learning tools, and the school environment are just a few of the many factors that also affect teaching quality and student outcomes.
Generally, across the Caribbean region, there is low morale among teachers, especially at the primary and secondary school levels, as they are often overworked and overwhelmed by the sizes of classrooms and the wider school environment, and are severely underpaid. As a result, the most qualified tend to either leave the profession altogether or take up more lucrative teaching opportunities abroad, resulting in considerable brain drain. Hence, the introduction of a biometric attendance system could be seen as a way of ‘strong-arming’ (the remaining) teachers, especially if teacher absenteeism is high, but it may have little impact on teaching quality.
Potentially taking a canon to kill a fly: Alternative digital solutions
Referring to the article, the goal of implementing a biometric attendance system is “to accurately record arrival and departure times of teachers“. However, if recording attendance is indeed the goal, several other digital alternatives that do not rely on biometrics could be used instead, a few of which are outlined below.
- Digital sign-in kiosks could be installed at the front desk, which could be in the form of a tablet computer that requires teachers to provide a unique PIN or a digital signature when logging in or out. Such a system would be more reliable than paper but less intrusive than biological scanning.
- Teachers are issued ID cards with an embedded chip that uses radio-frequency identification/ near field communication RFID/NFC technology. Upon entry or exit, the card is tapped against a reader, which has the benefit of being less invasive than biometrics and easier to replace if lost.
- A quick-response (QR) code that facilitates dynamic check-ins could be implemented, which works by displaying a unique, time-sensitive QR code every morning at the school’s entrance, with teachers scanning the code with their phones to register their presence. Further, in changing the QR code daily or a few times during the course of the day, this system could prevent teachers from scanning a static code from home.
- Using GPS or having sensors on the school premises, teachers would have a dedicated geofenced mobile app developed for the Ministry on their smartphones that would allow them to clock in only when they are physically within the school’s boundaries. In using GPS in particular, there would be no hardware to maintain at the school and consequently fewer moving parts.
The potential damage to the pocket
Finally, it would be remiss not to discuss the financial implications. Biometric systems (fingerprint, facial, or iris scanners) would require the most significant initial investment, as they rely on specialised physical hardware and software, which would also require installation expertise. However, provision would also need to be made for ongoing costs, especially software subscription fees, the maintenance of the school devices and the data security requirements, such as biometric encryption, to securely store this sensitive personal data.
RFID/NFC smart card solutions are generally a low-cost option, as the RFID readers are relatively inexpensive, and the bulk purchase of RFID-enabled ID cards would be among the initial costs. Regarding ongoing costs, card replacement would likely be the primary source, which may need to be carefully considered if cards are frequently lost, stolen, or damaged, thus requiring an ample and available budget for reprints and chip encoding.
For mobile or cloud-based solutions, the initial hardware costs could be minimal, ranging from none, if teachers are using their own devices, to the cost of a tablet computer (for example), and the initial setup and configuration of the software would also need to be factored in. However, going forward, there could be a monthly or annual subscription fee to be paid, which may be based on the number of teachers using the system, which could result in a high recurrent cost.
In almost every Caribbean country, schools are underfunded, and in some instances are struggling to provide the basics. Having said this, Guyana has been spending large sums on education. “In 2022 President Irfaan Ali committed to increasing education spending to 6% of Guyana’s GDP and 20% of the national budget” (Source: Global Partnership for Education). Most Caribbean countries are spending less than four per cent (Source: World Bank).
Conclusion
The transition to biometrics in Guyana’s schools would represent a shift toward modern, data-centric governance. However, based on details in the media, the justification for the use of biometrics seems weak when other similarly effective and more budget-friendly options exist, especially when across the Caribbean, schools tend to be underfunded and struggling to provide the basics. Although the benefit of increased accountability is clear, if the biometric attendance system is implemented, the Ministry will also need to address the other contributors to student success, in addition to concerns regarding data privacy and ‘policing’ it intends to adopt, to ensure the measure is met with cooperation rather than resistance.
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