Leader: Shame about the name

Giving a system designed to monitor student attendance the title of Uni-Nanny may not have been the best way to win acceptance from the responsible adults that it should benefit. But some method of keeping track of attendance at lectures and seminars has been shown to be the key to identifying those most at risk of dropping out of higher education. Taking the automated route might smack of Big Brother and is easy to dismiss as "electronic tagging", but it may simply be the most efficient way of delivering an important service.

The days when students could go their own way without anyone questioning regular absences are long gone at most universities. With drop-out rates creeping up, particularly in the first year of courses, innovative responses should be welcomed. If they can avoid names that suggest a condescending attitude on the part of the operators, they may also encounter less opposition.