APAAR ID – One Nation, One Student ID Initiative
Why In News?
- Recently, several state governments requested schools to seek parental consent for the creation of new student identity cards. The new ID card, known as Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry- APAAR, is part of the central government’s ‘One Nation, One Student ID’ initiative. This initiative was launched by the Ministry of Education as part of the National Education Policy 2020.
Regarding APAAR:
- Under this initiative, every student will get a lifetime APAAR ID, making it easier for learners, schools and governments to track educational progress such as literacy rates, dropout rates from pre-primary education to higher education.
- This ID will be linked to Academic Bank Credit (ABC), a digital storehouse containing information on credits earned by students during their learning.
- DigiLocker, a digital system where students can store their important documents and achievements, such as exam results and report cards, digitally, making them easy to access and use in the future.
- With APAAR ID, students will be able to store all their certificates and credits, whether they come from formal or informal education.
Function of APAAR ID:
- To sign up for an APAAR ID, students need to provide basic information like name, age, date of birth, gender, and a photograph. This information will be verified using their Aadhaar number.
- When a student completes a course or achieves something, it is digitally certified and stored securely in his account by authorized institutions.
- For minors, parents will have to sign a consent form, allowing the ministry to use the student’s Aadhaar number for authentication with UIDAI.
- If the student changes schools, whether within the state or to another state, all his data in ABC gets transferred to his new school simply by sharing the APAAR ID, there is no need to provide physical documents or transfer certificate.
Importance of APAAR ID:
- It aims to reduce fraud and duplicate educational certificates by providing a single, reliable reference for educational institutions. Only first party sources that issue certificates will be allowed to deposit credits into the system, ensuring authenticity.
- Also to make education hassle free and reduce the need for students to carry physical documents.
Challenges about APAAR:
- Many parents and students are apprehensive about sharing their Aadhaar details. There are concerns that personal information could potentially be leaked to outside parties, compromising their privacy.
- The government, however, says that the information shared by students will be kept confidential and will not be shared with any third party except for entities engaged in educational activities.
- In a diverse country like India, there are concerns about the digital divide, where access to technology and digital tools may not be equitable.
Source – Indian Express
