Taking staff’s attendance and conducting class tests have become way easier at Tang Central School in Bumthang. Thanks to an initiative of a teacher, the school now uses QR Codes to record staff’s attendance and Google Workspace to perform a host of other activities.
Today, when teachers enter their office in the morning, they no longer write their names in the attendance register and sign. They instead open the school’s QR Code app on the phone, scan, and write their names and type ‘check in’. That’s all it takes to record the attendance. The office assistant receives all the information in real-time on her computer.
Sonam Dorji, a biology teacher in the school voluntarily developed the system. He got his motivation from a similar application in Samtse College of Education when he was doing his master’s degree.
“I saw some lecturers using a similar application occasionally in Samtse. From there, I started working on developing it further and customising it for school-level functions. The Google Sheets and Google Forms have to be linked and a QR Code generated to create the system,” said Sonam Dorji.
It is not a complicated application. And developing the application doesn’t demand more than a good internet connection. Sonam says it takes only about two hours to create it. However, the convenience it offers to teachers and students is huge. Besides the attendance purpose, teachers use it to apply for leave and uploading lesson plans as well.
The Principal of the school, Namgay Tshering said, “As all the performance records, lesson plans and work quality can be accessed from a common interface, it becomes easier for me as an administrator to keep track of my staff’s works. As everything is updated online, there are no problems of losing documents and issues of timeliness. The system has been running smoothly for the last six months in our school.”
“As the teaching materials, lesson plans and other documents are backed up online, even if your laptop crash, the documents will still be available,” said Sonam Dorji.
Another teacher Dawa Zangmo said ,“The system helps us in observing self-discipline as all the activities, as well as attendance records are registered in real-time. It pushes us to complete tasks on time.”
The school conducted the mid-term exam of one of the classes online on trial. It proved to be a success and now science teachers often conduct class tests online.
“As we have been appearing online class tests often, the experience would benefit us when we grow older. However, as the Internet speed is mostly slow in the school, loading questions and submitting our answers takes time,” said Pema Tenzin, a student.
“We have had quite an experience using such e-learning applications. If at all there is another lockdown in the country, we would be able to study virtually with ease,” said Tashi Yuden, a student.
It has become easier for teachers to keep records for assessment. It will become mandatory once the country implements Bhutan Professional Standards for Teachers, a framework for the development of teachers.
With the New Normal Curriculum focusing on the use of digital platforms, the system will come in handy for teachers and students of Tang Central School, day by day.
Kipchu, Bumthang
Edited by Tandin Phuntsho
