Kenyan schools turn to biometric systems to keep students safe

A section of schools have now turned to technology using a biometric sign-in system and CCTV cameras to monitor their students.

This follows several incidents of arson, unrest and cases of students reported missing from various secondary schools across the country.

State Girls High School is one of the few learning institutions that have embraced technology for safety.

Students line up to sign in using the biometric system which alerts the school and the parents of their whereabouts.

Boarding students sign in on opening days when they arrive and on closing Day as they leave.

As for day-scholars, they log in every morning and log out in the evening when they leave.

When they place their fingers on the sign-in pad, a message is sent to their parents’ phones telling them that their children have arrived in the morning, or left in the evening and during holidays.

“When your child leaves school at 5pm, you can estimate the time they’ll reach although you shouldn’t be too tough as there may be traffic,” said one of the parents.

Parents also receive text messages if their child doesn’t check in within 24 hours, when their children leave school to attend extra-curricular activities or when they fall ill.

“When she went for an agriculture contest I knew and was able to visit,” said another parent.

CCTV cameras installed in various parts of the school also monitor the students movement within the institution, making it easy to tell when they are in the wrong place.

“Our belongings can’t be stolen and both teaching and non-teaching staff also have to sign in, so that it is clear who is in the compound at any point in time,” one student told Citizen TV.

Teachers expect that the system will help them monitor movement of their students and help keep them safe.

The biometric system is slowly gaining popularity in various Kenyan schools across the country.

“So far we have installed in 100 schools including; Alliance High School, Maseno School and Maranda High School among others,” Lilian Muchengi of Smart Technology Limited said.