The Biju Janata Dal on Thursday sharply criticised the BJP-led Odisha government’s plan to introduce biometric attendance for college students on a pilot basis, calling it an attempt to intimidate young people rather than fix a struggling education system.
Party spokesperson Dr Lenin Mohanty said the proposal was “unacceptable” at a time when colleges lack adequate teachers, textbooks and basic facilities. “When there is still no biometric attendance for teachers and staff, how justified is it to impose one on students?” he asked.
Mohanty accused BJP leaders of “unnecessary interference” in college management and said the academic atmosphere had deteriorated over the past two years. He described the government’s approach as a “Tughlaq policy” — a reference to erratic, top-down decisions that ignore ground realities.
The BJD also pointed to unfinished promises. The government had announced free education from KG to PG, yet many institutions continue to collect fees and run self-financing courses with no clear guidance on whether those students will be covered. “The government is talking about biometric attendance to hide its own inefficiency,” Mohanty said.
He warned that treating Gen-Z students as a discipline problem rather than addressing shortages and campus interference would only worsen the decline. “The government should not attempt to intimidate students in the name of discipline,” the statement said.
The criticism comes as the state prepares an experimental rollout of identity-based attendance tracking in colleges. Opposition leaders argue the priority should be filling teaching posts, ensuring textbooks and ending political meddling — not surveillance of students while staff remain outside the same system.
BJD framed the move as part of a broader failure that has, in its view, rapidly weakened Odisha’s higher education. Whether the government proceeds with the pilot or responds to the charges of uneven implementation and neglected basics will shape the next phase of the debate.
