APAAR ID

1. Context

Several state governments have recently requested schools to seek parental consent for the creation of a new student identity card known as the Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (APAAR). This initiative is part of the 'One Nation, One Student ID' program, which stems from the National Education Policy of 2020.

2. About APAAR 

• APAAR, or the Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry, is designed to serve as a unique ID system for all students in India, starting from a young age.
• The initiative aims to provide each student with a lifelong APAAR ID, facilitating the tracking of academic progress from pre-primary education to higher education.
• APAAR will also function as a gateway to Digilocker, a digital platform where students can securely store essential documents and achievements digitally, such as exam results and report cards.
• This digitalization streamlines access and utilization for purposes like pursuing higher education or seeking employment.

3. The Motivation Behind APAAR Implementation

• The introduction of APAAR is driven by the goal of simplifying the education process and reducing the necessity for students to carry physical documents.
• It seeks to create a positive change, allowing state governments to monitor literacy rates, dropout rates, and other vital metrics for educational improvements.
• APAAR also has the objective of curbing fraud and the issuance of duplicate educational certificates by providing a single, trusted reference for educational institutions.
• Only authorized sources that issue certificates will be permitted to deposit credits into the system, ensuring the authenticity of the documents.

4. The Functionality of APAAR ID

• Every individual will be assigned a unique APAAR ID, linked to the Academic Bank Credit (ABC), a digital repository containing information about the credits earned by students throughout their educational journey.
• With the APAAR ID, students can store all their certificates and credits, whether from formal or informal learning.
• When a student changes schools, her data in the ABC is seamlessly transferred to the new institution simply by sharing the APAAR ID.
• To obtain their single ID, students need to provide basic information such as name, age, date of birth, gender, and a photograph.
• This information is verified using their Aadhar number, with the Aadhar number used solely for verification purposes.
• Students will sign a consent form, choosing whether to share their Aadhar number and demographic information with the Ministry of Education for APAAR ID creation. For minors, parental consent is required.

5. Concerns and Privacy Issues

• Some parents and students have expressed concerns about sharing their Aadhar details, fearing potential data leaks to external parties.
• The government reassures that the shared information will remain confidential and will only be accessible to entities engaged in educational activities, such as the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) database, scholarships, maintenance of academic records, educational institutions, and recruitment agencies.
• Students retain the ability to stop sharing their information with these designated parties at any time, and data processing will cease upon withdrawal of consent.
• However, data already processed will remain unaffected even if consent is later withdrawn.

6. Conclusion

The introduction of APAAR, the Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry, marks a significant step in streamlining education, reducing document-related hassles for students, and enhancing data security. It is designed to benefit both students and educational institutions by offering a unified and accessible digital platform for academic records. Concerns about data privacy are addressed with strict controls and consent mechanisms.