Teacher Ascends Tree for Online Attendance Signal

A primary school headteacher in a remote hill area of Bangladesh was compelled to climb a tree in search of mobile network connectivity in order to submit official online attendance, following the nationwide introduction of a digital reporting system for teachers.

The incident occurred at Pakujjuchhara Government Primary School, located in Baghai Chhari Upazila of Rangamati District. The school’s headteacher, Mohammed Abu Taher, attempted to comply with the government’s directive requiring teachers to submit daily attendance records online from Monday (15 June).

According to the new instructions, teachers must be present at school by 9:00 a.m. and send photographs of attendance registers via WhatsApp to the Upazila Primary Education Officer. These records are then forwarded through the administrative chain to district-level authorities and subsequently to higher education offices.

On the day of the incident, the teacher first attempted to transmit the attendance from the school premises. However, due to a lack of mobile network coverage, he moved to higher ground and then to the top of a nearby hill in search of signal. When connectivity still proved insufficient, he ultimately climbed an mango tree at the hilltop, where he managed to obtain a weak signal and successfully send the attendance register photograph to the Upazila education office via WhatsApp.

The school is situated in a geographically challenging area, approximately 300–400 feet above surrounding terrain, where telecommunications coverage is reportedly inconsistent.

Administrative response and data overview

The introduction of online attendance reporting has created operational challenges in remote and hilly regions. According to education officials, not all schools in Rangamati District were able to comply due to connectivity limitations.

The following table summarises the initial reporting status from the district:

In Baghai Chhari Upazila specifically, Upazila Primary Education Officer (acting) Sanchayan Chakma reported that there are 116 government primary schools. On the first day of implementation, attendance data was successfully received from 88 schools, while 28 schools covering 83 teachers were unable to submit their attendance due to network issues.

Reactions from education authorities

The district-level primary teachers’ association president, Nazrul Ahmad Talukdar, noted that while online attendance is relatively straightforward in plain-land areas, it presents significant difficulties in hill tracts. He stated that many parts of Rangamati District still lack reliable mobile network coverage, and in some areas even electricity access remains limited.

He further emphasised that even the district headquarters experiences intermittent connectivity issues, urging authorities to consider the geographical and infrastructural constraints of hill regions when enforcing digital attendance systems.

District Primary Education Officer Kofil Uddin confirmed that attendance data is currently being collected via WhatsApp groups where possible. In areas without connectivity, SMS-based submissions are also being attempted. He added that schools unable to submit data are being documented, and the list will be forwarded to higher authorities in Dhaka for further instructions.

Conclusion

The introduction of mandatory online attendance reporting has highlighted significant disparities in digital connectivity between urban, rural, and remote hill regions. While the system has been implemented nationwide, the incident in Baghai Chhari Upazila illustrates the practical challenges faced by educators working in geographically isolated areas of Rangamati District.