Tuesday, January 28, 2025

PCI implementation of Aadhaarlinked IDs, biometric attendance to curb ghost faculty

PCI implementation of Aadhaarlinked IDs, biometric attendance to curb ghost faculty 

Pharmacy institutions have been directed to procure certified biometric authentication devices to ensure proper attendance 

Priyadarshini.Gupta@timesofindia.com 

In a move to enhance transparency and address malpractices in the pharmacy education sector, the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) will be soon implementing Aadhaarbased authentication for the unique ID registration numbers issued to pharmacy teachers and students. The initiative, expected to begin in February, will curb creation of duplication and ghost faculty profiles. To strengthen this further, the PCI is also in the process of initiating the implementation of Aadhaar Enabled Biometric Attendance System (AEBAS) in all approved pharmacy institutions from the 2025-2026 academic session in a phased manner. '

There have been growing concerns over the lack of transparency in maintaining accurate records of pharmacy educators. Institutions sometimes fail to keep proper records of their teaching staff, often hiring guest lecturers or assigning ‘ghost faculty’ to avoid regular payroll. All institutions are directed to procure Standardisation Testing and Quality Certification (STQC)-certified biometric authentication devices. With this, the PCI will monitor the attendance of all faculty staff at the institutions. The Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) are required to maintain internet connectivity for the effective functioning of this system. 

Experts feel the new system will enhance the credibility of pharmacy education and facilitate better policymaking. Montukumar Patel, president, PCI, says, “Introduction of Aadhaar-linked unique IDs will create a more reliable and secure way to manage the database of pharmacy educators and students. As of now, more than 1,00,000 teachers have applied for their unique ID  registration number. 

We expect to receive more registrations soon.” Chance to re-register The unique ID registration system involves the issuance of an ID card with a QR code, which contains the central registration number of the teacher or student. These smart cards not only serve as an identification tool but also enable easy verification via QR codes. The link between Aadhaar and the unique ID will ensure that each registered teacher or student has a verifiable identity, preventing the creation of multiple fraudulent profiles. The process will be managedthrough the PCI website, where teachers and students can initiate the process of lin king their Aadhaar numbers with their respective IDs. 

“Previously, there were no checkpoints to ensure the validity of registrations, leading to the creation of multiple profiles by the same individual, often using different email addresses. The new system will eliminate such discrepancies,” adds Patel. The PCI usually faces a challenge in maintaining the DIGI-PHARMedportal due to the prevalence of duplicate or invalid profiles. Recently, it blacklisted over 91,000 such profiles on the portal. “The council has now asked individuals to re-register using their Aadhaar-linked mobile numbers. This will ensure that only valid candidates are allowed access to the system, and prevent further cases of duplicate profiles,” says the PCI president. 

Boost accountability The initiative aims to enhance its teacher identification system and create accountability. Daksh Bhatia, professor, KIET School of Pharmacy, Ghaziabad, says, “The PCI has been collecting details of teachers and issuing ID cards for some time now, however, the process lacked authentication. There have been instances of duplication, where some teachers created multiple IDs using different email addresses linked to the same Aadhaar number. Delays in generating OTPs further led to errors and duplication. Faculty members will now also be able to shift from one institution to another with relative ease. The new system will allow the faculty to submit transfer requests to their current institution, and once the transfer is approved, they can officially join the new institution, ensuring that their teaching records remain up to date.” Real-time insights By linking the Aadhaar, the PCI is trying to ensure that every pharmacist is identified and associated with a specific workplace — whether a hospital, retail pharmacy, or academic institution. Anuradha Majumdar, HoD, Department of Pharmacology, Bombay College of Pharmacy, Mumbai, says, “This centralised database will not only serve as a verification tool but will also provide real-time insights into the distribution of pharmacists across sectors. Such data can be crucial during emergencies, central/state/ region/rural-urban-wise decision-making, while forming and implementing new government policies and methodologies in healthcare as well as in pharmacy higher education. 


It will allow the PCI to map specialised skillsets such as pharmacists working as teachers with value-added information on specialisations and research areas; pharmacists manning retail outlets, hospital pharmacies with expertise in intensive care units or those involved in advanced therapies like cell-based therapy or specialty areas enabling better utilisation of registered pharmacists as manpower. The step will generate a central pharmacist database covering all states.”

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