19 June,2017 11:16 PM IST | Mumbai | Pallavi Smart
Mithibai College becomes the first in Mumbai to require students and staff to swipe RFID cards and scan their fingerprints to enter campus and register their attendance in foolproof system
The RFID scanners have been installed at the entrance of Mithibai College as part of a recent revamp
There's no fooling the attendance gods this year, at least not at Vile Parle's Mithibai College, which is the first degree college to equip its entrances with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and biometric technology. This means, no one will be able to enter the college or mark attendance without scanning the new RFID cards, as well as their fingerprint.
Win-win decision
This technology will not only ensure a complete digital database of attendance history, but will also prevent unauthorised entry in the college. Students as well as professors, principals and other staff members will be given new System Application Product (SAP) ID cards that will have complete information of the card-holder stored on a chip.
Anyone entering the institute will have to swipe their cards at the entrance. To ensure there is no misuse of the system, the card-holder will also have to scan their finger to verify that the card belongs to them.
Considering the large number of people entering college on a daily basis, each gate is to have six biometric machines, so there will be no long queues. Security officials at the gate will be given mastercards for guest entries.
Other colleges to follow
Principal Dr Rajpal Hande said, "The Shri Vileparle Kelvani Mandal (SVKM), which runs Mithibai College, has introduced this as a part of development plan. It will be replicated now in other colleges run by SVKM. SAP cards given to students will be valid for the tenure of the course that they are pursuing; for example a junior college student will be given SAP card valid for two years, while a degree student will be given a card with three-year validity. Students will not be charged extra for the identity card."
NM College, Jitendra Chauhan College of Law, Bhagubai Mafatlal Polytechnic, Usha Pravin Gandhi College of Management - these are among other colleges run by the trust, which will also be equipped with the technology.
Hande added, "This, we expect, will ensure complete transparency and security. Even I have my SAP card to enter the college. We will be able to keep complete record of every student. Currently, we have started using the cards for entry to the college, but we soon plan to connect it with attendance as well."
While the principal's SAP card is ready, other cards are still in the making, as admissions are still on.
