A student attendance tag is a card or ID that a reader scans to mark a child present without a paper register. In EDUBase it is a printed QR ID card scanned by the free QR Attendance App, with parent notification.
What is a student attendance tag?
A student attendance tag is any card, badge or ID that identifies a child to a reader at the gate or in the classroom. The reader records who arrived and when, so a teacher does not have to call names from a register.
Schools use different technologies for the tag, such as a printed QR code or a radio-frequency chip. What matters is that each tag is linked to one student record, and that the scan lands in the same attendance data the school already reports from.
If you searched for a specific vendor's tag under the name ODM, check that vendor's own documentation for its hardware. This guide explains the general idea and how it works in EDUBase.
How does a QR attendance tag work in EDUBase?
EDUBase uses a printed QR ID card as the student's tag. You print student and employee cards with QR codes in your school's design, then scan them with the free QR Attendance App on an Android phone or tablet.
Each scan marks attendance in real time. A gate scan can also send an SMS, WhatsApp or app notification to the parent.
- Print cards from Student Management: QR codes and ID cards are produced from the student record.
- Choose a vertical or horizontal card with photo, QR and expiry.
- Scan at the gate or in class with the QR Attendance App.
- Parents are told through SMS, WhatsApp or the Parents App.
Which other methods can replace or support the tag?
A card is not the only option. EDUBase also connects standard fingerprint and face terminals, and it has a Face Attendance Gates screen for tablets that recognise enrolled faces.
All of these feed the same attendance tables, so reports, parent alerts and fines behave the same whichever reader you use. Teachers can still mark attendance by class or from the Teacher App when a device is not available.
- Biometric terminals: punches mark attendance in EDUBase.
- Face tablets: recognition runs on the device, with a liveness check so a held-up photo is not accepted.
- Class register and bulk attendance: useful as a fallback or for classes without a gate reader.
What happens after a student is scanned?
The scan marks attendance through the same path as the daily register. Absentee alerts, attendance sheets and individual or combined reports work unchanged.
The Owner App lists today's absentees with call and WhatsApp buttons. If your school wants it, an absence fine can be added to the next fee challan.
How should a school roll out attendance tags?
Start with clean student records, because each card is only as reliable as the record behind it. Check class, section, photo and family links before printing.
Then pilot at one gate or a few classes, confirm that parent messages arrive, and extend to the rest of the school. Keep the class register available for days when a child forgets the card.
- Verify student data and photos first.
- Print and distribute cards by class.
- Install the QR Attendance App on the gate devices.
- Test parent notifications before going school-wide.
- Review attendance alerts for classes not marked by the expected time.
Ways to mark student attendance and what each involves
| Method | What the student carries or uses | Reader | Parent alert |
|---|---|---|---|
| QR ID card (tag) | Printed card with a QR code | QR Attendance App on an Android device | Yes, SMS, WhatsApp or app notification on a gate scan |
| Biometric terminal | Fingerprint or face on a standard terminal | Terminal connected to EDUBase | Same attendance alerts as other methods |
| Face attendance gate | Nothing to carry; the face is enrolled | Android tablet with the face attendance app | Yes, same messages as the register |
| Class register | Nothing | Teacher marks by class on the portal | Absentee SMS or WhatsApp |
| Teacher App | Nothing | Teacher's phone | Absentee alerts as per school settings |
Related modules
- QR, Biometric & Geo Attendance — Automatic in/out marking from QR cards, biometric machines and phone location.
- Student Attendance — Mark attendance from the class register, the Teacher App, a QR scan or a gate device, and tell parents instantly.
- Face Attendance Gates — A tablet at the gate recognises the face and marks the child or staff member in.
- Certificates, Cards & Print Designs — Student cards, certificates, letters and every printout in your school's own branding.
- Student Management & Admissions — Every student record, from first enquiry to leaving certificate, in one place.
- SMS, WhatsApp & Notifications — Reach parents by SMS, WhatsApp, branded SMS or app notification, from every screen that matters.