PANATINA Community High School in East Honiara has become the first school in the country to implement an electronic teacher monitoring system.
The school recently purchased and installed a ZKTeco K40 device from Smart Technology Limited for under $3,000.
The new system aims to monitor the attendance of the school’s 38 secondary teachers.
Principal Mary Ihasimae praised the initiative, saying that teacher absenteeism remains a major challenge across the country.
“It’s really difficult to monitor teachers because not everyone starts at 8 am,” Ms Ihasimae said.
“Some arrive after the break, others before. This is a great initiative because the government policy clearly states that school starts at 8 am,” she added.
She explained that the system complements manual records taken by class captains and simplifies daily monitoring.
“It works well. I no longer need to go to the staffroom to check who’s present,” Principal Ihasimae added.
The system will also assist in reporting to the Honiara City Council (HCC) Education Authority and aligns with the Solomon Islands Education Management Information System (SIEMIS) and also the Education Act, which mandates greater use of technology in education.
Smart Technology Ltd Managing Director Rolex Sitana said the ZKTeco K40 system is a cost-effective solution for schools seeking to address attendance issues.
“Panatina CHS is the first school to use it. So far, we’ve only installed this system in places like the National Parliament, Palm Sugar restaurant and other construction local businesses,” Mr Sitana said.
Teacher absenteeism is a persistent issue in the country, particularly in primary schools.
Contributing factors include poor working conditions, low salaries, inadequate infrastructure, and a lack of effective monitoring systems—all of which negatively affect student learning outcomes.
By EDDIE OSIFELO
Solomon Star, Honiara
Panatina CHS Principal Mary Ihasimae and Managing Director of Smart Technology Ltd, Rolex Sitana with the new electronic device to monitor teachers. Photo supplied
