The Assam government has introduced a new technology-driven initiative aimed at addressing the persistent issue of student absenteeism across government-run educational institutions. On Monday, the state’s Department of School Education officially launched an automated SMS alert system designed to ensure timely communication with parents and teachers when students remain absent from school for extended periods.
According to an official statement, the system has been integrated with an existing mobile application developed by the state to monitor attendance and other academic-related parameters in government schools. Under this mechanism, automated text messages will be sent to alert both parents or guardians and class teachers if a student is absent from school for five consecutive days.
The department is currently tracking daily attendance of both teachers and students through the Shiksha Setu Application. Based on data collected through the platform, officials observed that many students were missing school due to a range of factors, including family-related issues, migration, and a lack of awareness among parents about the long-term impact of irregular attendance on a child’s education.
To tackle these challenges and improve overall attendance levels, the department has rolled out what it described as a “state-of-the-art Automated SMS-Based Absenteeism Alert System.” Officials said the initiative represents a significant step towards strengthening regular school attendance, promoting continuity in education, and enabling early, targeted intervention to prevent students from dropping out.
Under the new system, standardised SMS alerts will be automatically generated once a student has remained absent for five straight days. The alerts will be sent at fixed intervals—on the 5th, 10th, and 15th days of continued absence—and will keep repeating at the same intervals until the student returns to school. This continuous notification process is intended to maintain sustained engagement between schools and families.
The alerts are designed to reach two key stakeholders simultaneously. Class teachers will receive detailed messages that include the student’s name, class, and section, allowing them to proactively contact parents or guardians and take necessary steps to encourage the student’s return to school. Parents and guardians, meanwhile, will receive short and direct reminders highlighting their child’s ongoing absence and urging them to ensure regular attendance.
Taking into account Assam’s linguistic diversity, the government has ensured that the SMS alerts will be delivered in five official languages—Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Hindi, and English. The department stated that messages in each district will be sent in at least two locally relevant languages, depending on the region’s demographic and geographical profile, to maximise reach, understanding, and effectiveness.
Officials believe that by combining digital attendance tracking with automated, multilingual communication, the system will help schools identify absenteeism early, engage families more effectively, and reduce the risk of students falling out of the education system altogether.
