Yes, lunch payment in my daughter’s UK secondary school.
The biometric system is used as a cash or swipe-card replacement.
Here’s what happens:
- Student chooses lunch, takes it to cashier
- Cashier totals the prices while student has thumbprint read from biometric scanner
- Cashier’s screen displays student’s name and photo, checks it matches individual and payment is taken from student’s account
- Student eats lunch
Is this really sinister? The previous system was cash-based and was far slower. A swipe-card system would be equivalent, but would cost the school more administering the cards (significant when 2,000 cards are issued). The reader failure rate seems very low (surprisingly).
Also, the refusal rate at this school was tiny (less than 1 per 200). A handful of students (my daughter included) opted out. Almost no parent or child saw it as an issue (nor did the school or staff members).
