Following lengthy negotiations with the Ministry of Education, the Jordanian Teachers Syndicate has had to break the news to state school teachers that they will now officially have to scan their fingerprints at work to monitor their attendance.

Many teachers were opposed to the idea of using fingerprint scanners at work, but the Ministry said that teachers are now required to sign in at 7:45am and sign out at the end of their shift, as assigned by their school, using the new technology.

The scanners were fitted in selected schools across the kingdom.

Other outcomes from the negotiations now require schools to do the following:

• The Headmaster is to set teachers’ work schedule without prejudice.

• The Headmaster is to set teachers’ work schedule during both semesters’ end-of-year exams.

• Allow teachers who have completed their classes to leave after the end of the sixth class of the day, as long as they are not assigned to any vocational lessons or tasks after their final academic class of the day.

• Taking into consideration teachers’ requests for emergency leaves before the end of the day’s sixth class, as long as the leaves do not exceed four per month.