Face ID Attendance Mandatory For Faculty Members In All Medical Colleges From May 1

The NMC has mandated replacement of existing fingerprint-based biometric attendance system to check the ‘ghost faculties’

By EB Bureau On Apr 25, 2025

NEW DELHI: The National Medical Commission (NMC) has made it mandatory the use of face-based Aadhaar authentication for marking faculty attendance at medical colleges across India.

The new system will replace the existing biometric attendance system, beginning May 1, 2025, a notification issued by the NMC said.

To see the full notification, click here.

All faculty members need to install a face-based Aadhaar Authentication App on their mobile phones. This app is available for download on Android Play Store and Apple App Store.

The shift to this system aims to enhance the user experience and improve accuracy in attendance recording.

At present, attendance at medical colleges is tracked through the Aadhaar Enabled Biometric Attendance System (AEBAS). However, the NMC will discontinue the use of fingerprint-based devices for attendance from May 1 and will exclusively use face-based biometric verification.

National Medical Commission(NMC) has decided to fully shift to FACE based AEBAS authentication for faculty attendance from 1st MAY 2025.#NMC #AEBAS pic.twitter.com/jyP6JObLwX

— National Medical Commission (@NMC_BHARAT) April 16, 2025

The move is designed to prevent fraudulent practices, including the use of ‘ghost’ faculty members who are only present during inspections.

The NMC has also instructed all medical colleges to provide GPS coordinates of key locations on campus, ensuring that attendance can only be recorded within a 100-metre radius of the specified points.

This step is meant to streamline the process further and reduce the chances of attendance manipulation.

The NMC has also stressed the importance of this new system in eliminating the practice of ‘ghost faculties’ — where faculty members are reported to be present during inspections, but are otherwise absent.

This has been a long-pending issue in some colleges, particularly in subjects like anatomy, biochemistry, forensic medicine, pharmacology, and microbiology.

Last year, several medical colleges in Karnataka, including government institutions, were penalised for not meeting the faculty requirements, prompting the NMC to take stringent measures.

With the new system, the NMC will now be able to directly monitor faculty attendance, ensuring greater accountability across all medical colleges.