Makerere lecturers raise alarm over new biometric attendance system

According to a letter issued by MUASA and addressed to the university council chairperson, Lorna Magara, on Friday, October 20, 2023, the lecturers argued that the university's core mandate, which includes teaching, research, and outreach, is distinct from the routine public service mandate, whose working hours are 8:00am to 5:00pm.

Pulse Uganda has learnt that the biometric attendance tracking system is intended to reduce absenteeism, and that it is "part of the government's integrated Human Capital Management System (HCM) to automate human resource management functions in the public service," according to the institution.

The lecturers, who raised alarm through their professional body Makerere University Academic Staff Association (MUASA), rejected the attendance biometric system most saying it's an inconvenience to staff members.

According to a letter issued by MUASA and addressed to the university council chairperson, Lorna Magara, on Friday, October 20, 2023, the lecturers argued that the university's core mandate, which includes teaching, research, and outreach, is distinct from the routine public service mandate, whose working hours are 8:00am to 5:00pm.

Pulse Uganda has learnt that the biometric attendance tracking system is intended to reduce absenteeism, and that it is "part of the government's integrated Human Capital Management System (HCM) to automate human resource management functions in the public service," according to the institution.