Hoshika H Sumi
Primary Teacher
The School Education Department is spending a lot of money on the SMILE App, which was launched under the Nagaland Education Project—The Lighthouse (NECTAR) to monitor teachers' attendance. But I often wonder: once the NECTAR project ends, who will fund the SMILE App?
The app still has many issues and doesn’t seem capable of handling attendance for over 20,000 employees at the same time. This might be why teachers have to mark their attendance offline, even when a strong 5G network is available.
At one point, the Department told school heads to buy SIM cards with the best network and recharge them for three months using their own money, promising to pay them back later. But now, as the NECTAR project is ending, who will ensure they get their money?
The Department or Government struggles to pay employees' salaries on time and has delayed clearing pending arrears for many years. Given the way the Department operates, it’s clear that the SMILE App cannot last long without enough funds. Running the app requires regular payments and a team to maintain it.
The SMILE App was introduced with good intentions, but its problems raise serious doubts about its effectiveness. If it cannot handle large-scale attendance properly and will always require more money for upgrades, how can it last? When salaries are not paid on time and arrears remain pending, spending on such an app doesn’t seem practical. Instead of investing in something that may not work in the long run, the Department should look for better and more affordable solutions. A well-planned digital attendance system with proper funding and accountability is the key to success.
