The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) brought in facial recognition biometric technology into its scholarship registration and attendance system.

With this, TESDA said that it will now have a better perspective in ensuring that the scholarship programs being implemented are based on the approved qualification maps.

Through the Biometric-Enabled Scholarship Registration System (BSRS), the agency is determined to fulfill its quest in improving the management and strengthening the integrity of its scholarship programs.

TESDA Secretary Isidro Lapeña elaborated that the BSRS is part of the agency’s digitization as groundwork for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

"To continuously address equity and access by providing direct financial assistance to deserving TVET scholars across all regions in the country, we are improving our services to adapt to the new normal," he said.

Since the start of the pandemic, TESDA has been improving its systems and processes to ensure that scholarship funds are still properly utilized.

With this, TESDA created an information system with features that can validate the scholars' actual attendance through facial recognition resembling android phones and other mobile app features.

"TESDA scholars and trainers will have their own training profiles where they will have a one-time registration which will only require image capture of their faces and inputs of their personal data which remain similar to what they fill in with the TESDA scholarship application forms. In this way, scholars can easily enroll online . More importantly, they can now monitor their training progress as well,” Lapeña explained.

With their BSRS profile, one can enroll again in the future without having to register again. He/she can also check where a particular training course is offered. It is like an online one-stop shop for trainees.

Meanwhile, trainers will also have their own profiles where they can manage and check their class schedules. They can also view the attendance sheet of their respective classes. Using the online messaging system, trainers can also communicate with their learners individually or collectively. The pilot testing of BSRS, handled by TESDA’s Information and Communication Technology Office, started last January 25 at the TESDA Women's Center, MUNTIPARLASTAPAT District Training and Assessment Center, Pasay-Makati District Training and Assessment Center, and Regional Training Center in the National Capital Region. Pilot testing at the Regional Training Center of Cordillera Administrative Region has also started and will last until February 25.

After the pilot testing, BSRS is set to start its full implementation in all regions by March this year.