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The quality of education in Pakistan is extremely poor by world standards. Children study the same books as their parents did, or probably their grandparents. In Sindh, students who don't sit exams end up passing them. In Lahore, at the main examination centres located next to the board office, bribing and cheating are common practices. Professors are absent from classes and concentrate on maintaining their relations with influential individuals. Examination staff close the examination rooms to those who refuse to abide by the routine.

100,000 pupils have been missing from school rolls during the past two years. The Government has announced that a national register would be introduced to assess how many pupils were not in school across the country. The Schools White Paper announced that laws would be introduced to modernise how attendance is recorded, with a “national data solution” used to track attendance and provide a “safety net” for vulnerable pupils at risk of disappearing from school rolls.

Data from the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights shows that 29 per cent of teachers were considered chronically absent, missing more than 10 days of school in 2015-2016. This is near twice the 15 per cent of students who are chronically absent. As a result, a number of school districts included teacher and student absence measures in their school accountability system.

In order to capture teachers’ daily attendance, the State Government introduced fingerprint devices in 219 secondary schools under the Ministry. The new system will not only help reduce teacher absenteeism in primary and secondary schools but also eliminate ghost workers. The State Commissioner for Education reported that 53.5 per cent of teachers do not show up for work at all.

The elementary and secondary education department has terminated the services of 104 teachers and other employees in the merged tribal districts for securing jobs on fake degrees or absenting themselves from duty for a long time during the last two decades. The department of education will examine the academic degrees and certificates of all employees in tribal districts.

The standard bribe demanded by officials for a teacher transfer in India is around Rs 1-2 lakh. Nevertheless, the government has developed a transparent online transfer policy for schoolteachers. A smartphone or computer, internet access and the teachers’ answers to around 10 queries will now decide the fate of teachers’ transfer requests. This new system is also designed to address the problem of job dissatisfaction and teacher absenteeism.

In a bid to reduce absenteeism among both teachers and students, Mengo Senior school introduced a biometric system designed to monitor the movements of students and staff in and out of the school.

According to Transparency International, 66 per cent of the money Nigerian governments allocate to education is stolen by corrupt officials. Resource misallocation, corrupt procurement, exchange of sex for grades, examination malpractices, fake qualifications, teacher absenteeism, and corrupt recruitment practices are just some examples of the challenges the education systems is facing. This affects the quality of education, inclusion and learning outcomes with devastating consequences for national economic growth.

eNews Channel Africa reports that a recent document made by the school monitoring survey shows the national absenteeism aggregate for teachers in South African schools has risen from eight percent to ten percent on an average day. Teacher unions are discussing the lack of context of the report.