Pakistan Education Department using FBI-certified forensic-quality fingerprint scanners in rural areas

Pakistan Education Department is using world’s smallest and lightest FBI-certified fingerprint scanners to verify the identity of teachers in the remote villages in Pakistan. In April 2015, the department initiated a pilot program with funding from World Bank and assistance from Integrated Biometrics who provided state of the art Columbo Fingerprint Scanner. The program will not only verify but also built a matching database for around 150,000 educators in rural areas in Pakistan. The ultimate goal will be to have real-time attendance monitoring in each village.

The Columbo Fingerprint Scanner can provide accurate and high-resolution scans in virtually any environment. The Light Emitting Sensor (LES) technology can help recognize the finger without being confused with foreign matter and works well on both moist and dry fingers and also resists abrasion. Moreover, the scanner can withstand tough environment with minimal maintenance required. This is why Intellitech Directors Wayne Jonathan Davis and Hunain Ali Durrani believe that these scanners can drive the success of the program as it works well in all environments.

Integrated Biometrics produces enrollment and verification fingerprint sensors to hardware integrators software and database providers, and contractors serving government agencies and commercial markets worldwide to address issues related to homeland security, border patrol, law enforcement, background checks, military and defense, social services, national ID programs, and elections.

This initiative can help check the availability of teachers in schools in rural areas and eliminate the ghost teachers scenario in Pakistan’s education system.