Pakistan is working to rescue an education system plagued by fraud through an innovative project utilizing mobile fingerprint biometrics.
Pakistan is working to rescue an education system plagued by fraud through an innovative project utilizing mobile fingerprint biometrics.
The project is funded through the Global Partnership for Education and aligned with the World Bank’s Identification for Development initiative. It relies on mobile biometric identification technology to enroll and verify the identity of over 150,000 Pakistani teachers throughout rural communities subjected to years of civil unrest. Although approximately 7,000 schools have been destroyed or abandoned, some individuals continue to fleece a government facing challenges in funding its educational system.
A UNICEF study found that these “ghost schools” deprive roughly five million children from receiving an education creating a “knowledge gap” that impacts the country’s ability to prepare a future generation of its citizens for quality jobs and economic growth or preserve its history and cultural heritage.
To limit fraud, the Pakistan Education Department equips officials with mobile identity solutions utilizing Integrated Biometrics’ Columbo single-finger scanner. Traveling to remote villages, officials verify the identity and location of valid educators through electronic fingerprinting in concert with a matching database.
Columbo’s FAP 30 sensor produces high-quality fingerprint images quickly and easily in virtually any environment, including direct sunlight and dusty conditions. Ideal for mobile applications where size and low power consumption is essential, Columbo is the perfect technology for this unique project.
Product Adopted:Biometrics