Ramya case: After crash, app tracks students in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: A novel initiative of a private engineering college is facilitating parents to keep track of their children’s movements in classrooms. Not only has attendance shot up considerably, parents too, are happy and relieved.

KMIT (Keshav Memorial Institute of Technology) has introduced a new android application – KMIT Sanjaya – for first-year students. It allows parents to log into the app and see what their child is doing. Two IPTVs (Internet Protocol Televisions that are more advanced then CCTVs) are installed in each classroom to generate visuals.

The college has spent nearly Rs 12 lakh on the new technology launched this academic year. According to KMIT founder and president Mr Neil Gogte, the initiative follows the horrific accident in Panjagutta a few months back wherein school kid Ramya and some of her family members died. Although the accused student at the wheel (Shravil) was not from the college, the other five belonged to KMIT and the college was in the news for the wrong reasons, he said.

“Students leave home saying that they are going to college. And parents do not know if they bunk classes and indulge in other activities. Our objective is to control this,” he said.

The name of the app, KMIT Sanjaya, was finalised drawing inference from Mahabharata, where the blind king Dhritarashtra was given visual narration by his advisor Sanjaya about the battle of Kurukshetra between the Kauravas and Pandavas. “Through our Sanjaya application, parents can keep track of what their child is doing,” he added.

This new technology has been introduced for first-year students as chances of them going wayward are high because of new surroundings and the company of new friends, Mr Neil said.

Parents, meanwhile, are making full use of the app, which is evident from the fact that daily, 450 parents are logging in during class hours.

Mr Vikas Rajurkar, an industrialist whose son studies in first-year CSE, said, “We have full faith in our son and he will inform us if he goes to college or say, for a movie. The app gives information on timetables, attendance and academic performance,” he said.

Former NAAC director Prof. V.S. Prasad felt sustainable efforts on the part of institutions are necessary. “Self-regulation is the best. Keeping track of children and guiding them is welcome. But there should be a follow-up action. Institutions, especially staff, should strive for healthy relationships and build confidence among students,” he stressed.