The new academic session for government schools in Ludhiana, Punjab, India, began recently with plans to implement online attendance marking through the management information system (MIS) 2.0 initiative. However, technical issues with the MIS portal have delayed the rollout. This system was designed to automate attendance tracking and send SMS alerts to parents if a student is absent for three consecutive days. Teachers have expressed frustration, noting that many schools are understaffed, with some operated by a single teacher, complicating the transition to digital attendance. Jagjit Singh Mann, president of the Government Teachers Union in Ludhiana, highlighted that without addressing staffing shortages, the effectiveness of digital reforms will be limited. The district education officers have been instructed to ensure the attendance module is implemented promptly, with updates required on the e-Punjab portal within two hours of class commencement. Deputy district education officer Manoj Kumar indicated that the system should be operational by next week once the technical issues are resolved.