HED halts facial recognition-based attendance system

LAHORE: The Higher Education Department (HED) on Friday issued fresh instructions to immediately halt the registration and implementation of the facial recognition-based attendance system in public sector colleges across the province.

This decision comes after strong opposition from the Punjab Professors and Lecturers Association (PPLA), which had raised serious concerns over the system’s implications for privacy, legality, and the dignity of teaching staff. In the notification dated May 16, the department clarified that the facial attendance application was still under development and had not yet been officially released. Some colleges had reportedly begun installing unauthorised versions of the system and had started registering teachers without approval. Terming this premature step as ‘highly undesirable,’ the department directed that such applications be uninstalled and any data collected through them be discarded in a safe and secure manner. However, sources said, the latest notification was result of strong opposition against the initiative from the teaching community across Punjab.

The latest notification further stated that master trainers were only authorised to provide orientation sessions to principals and teaching staff at this stage. No registration of teachers was to take place until the application is officially cleared for use and proper data security measures are confirmed. This move follows weeks of protest and advocacy by PPLA, which had warned that the system posed risks to data security, personal privacy, and professional respect. The teachers’ association argued that using facial recognition for attendance without legal backing violated constitutional protections and ignored the cultural and religious sensitivities of many faculty members, particularly women. They also criticised the lack of consultation in the decision-making process and pointed out that such surveillance-based measures were not a substitute for real educational reforms.

The department’s latest position appears to acknowledge these concerns, at least in part, by halting all registration and implementation until further notice. HED's earlier notifications through Directors of Colleges had instructed all principals of public colleges to begin registering themselves and their staff on the HED's facial recognition application. These notifications, issued in early May, had set a strict deadline from May 6 to May 15, directing principals to ensure timely compliance. Master trainers were assigned to help guide the registration process, and colleges had started implementing the system accordingly.

In the latest notification, the HED has not officially stated that the system was being shelved, but this pause marks a significant moment in the ongoing debate around surveillance and data rights in the education sector. The teachers have maintained that they will continue to advocate for the protection of teachers’ rights, privacy, and professional dignity.