‘1 nation, 1 student ID’ to be extended to schools
The Indian government plans to extend its one nation, one student ID initiative to schools, allowing seamless integration with higher education
The government is likely to soon extend its one nation, one student ID initiative to schools to ensure seamless integration with higher education, as envisaged in the National Education Policy 2020, officials said.
Under the initiative, an Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (APAAR) card with a 12-digit unique ID will be provided to students. The Centre has launched the initiative in higher education and over 22 million students are being issued APAAR IDs as of now.
APAAR, an Aadhaar-verified ID, is a gateway to students’ academic bank of credit (ABC), which is a digital repository of credits. It is also used to access Digilocker, a digital locker where students can store important documents, including mark sheets and certificates. APAAR will eventually be a lifetime ID for students from pre-primary to PhD.
Since education is a state subject, it is not mandatory for the states to adopt any initiative under the NEP 2020.
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Discussions have begun with various state governments on the implementation of one nation, one student ID initiative in schools, said Anil Sahasrabuddhe, chairperson of the National Educational Technology Forum, a division under the education ministry.
“It is going to make things easier for students, schools and the entire education system. It will help them to track academic progress of students from pre-primary education to higher education. It will also help those students whose parents are in transferable jobs,” Sahasrabuddhe said. “In case they change their schools in the middle of a session, the other school can access their progress by logging in to their ABC account using the unique ID.”
For the time this year, the central government has introduced a national credit framework (NCrF), with school and vocational education included in it. Under NCrF, students will earn credits right from school, which will be stored in their ABC accounts.
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Experts welcomed the move even as they cautioned on privacy issues. “The envisioned one nation, one ID system for school students presents a promising prospect for streamlining administrative procedures, fostering data accuracy and optimising resource allocation in the education sector. This centralised approach can potentially eradicate redundancy and enhance the overall efficiency of student-related processes,” said Jyoti Arora, principal at Mount Abu Public School. “While acknowledging these benefits, it is imperative to vigilantly address potential risks related to data security and privacy.”
Since APAAR is an Aadhaar-verified system, schools will have to obtain consent from parents, Sahasrabuddhe added. “It is because school students are minors, unlike colleges where students can give consent on their own. Students’ data will remain confidential. It is just to verify that authenticity. We may create a system where the students’ details can be uploaded and e-KYC can be done,” he said.