Al-Haiatul Ulya Lil-Jamiatil Qawmia Bangladesh has made fingerprint registration mandatory for female candidates sitting Dawra Hadith examinations under its authority. The directive was issued in an official statement on Tuesday, following a decision at the organisation’s 68th standing committee meeting on July 4. The measure is intended to protect veiling requirements while making candidate identification more accurate and modern.

For the past 10 years, male students have had photographs taken online during registration for the examinations, while female candidates’ photographs were not taken because of concerns related to veiling. Office manager Md Asiur Rahman said fingerprints will replace photographs for female candidates from this year, and registration will not be completed without them.

For registration for the 1448 Hijri, or 2027, Dawra Hadith (Takmil) examinations, madrasas have been instructed to use the ZKTeco SLK20R Biometric Fingerprint Scanner. The body warned against purchasing other models because of possible software integration and data-matching problems. It said no supplier has been designated, and madrasas unable to obtain the device may use a nearby madrasa that has one.