Central Idea

About 25 crore Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (APAAR) have been created, Union Education Minister informed at a national conference on ‘APAAR: One Nation One Student ID Card.’

What is APAAR?

What is it? : APAAR serves as a unique identification system for all students across India, commencing from early childhood.
Lifelong Student ID: Every student is assigned a lifelong 12-digit ID, simplifying the tracking of academic progress from pre-primary education through higher education.
Gateway to Digilocker: APAAR functions as a gateway to Digilocker, a digital repository where students can securely store crucial documents, including exam results and report cards, for convenient access during future endeavours such as higher education or job applications.

Unique Identification: Each individual receives a unique APAAR ID, linked to the Academic Bank Credit (ABC), a digital repository housing a student’s earned credits throughout their academic journey.
Seamless Data Transfer: When students change schools, whether within the state or to another state, their data in the ABC is seamlessly transferred to the new school by sharing the APAAR ID, eliminating the need for physical document submission.
All-Inclusive Repository: APAAR allows students to store certificates and credits from both formal and informal learning experiences, with digital certification from authorized institutions.

Streamlined Education: APAAR’s introduction aims to streamline education processes, reducing the burden on students to carry physical documents.
NEP 2020 Initiative: This initiative was launched as part of the National Education Policy 2020 by the Ministry of Education.
Empowering State Governments: APAAR empowers state governments to monitor literacy rates, dropout rates, and educational improvements effectively.
Combatting Fraud: It seeks to combat fraud and the proliferation of duplicate educational certificates by providing a single, reliable reference for educational institutions, ensuring authenticity through first-party verification.

Registration Process: To enrol for APAAR, students provide basic details such as name, age, date of birth, gender, and a photograph, all of which are verified using their Aadhar number.
Aadhar Authentication: The Aadhaar number is used solely for verification purposes to match the name and date of birth, with no sharing of this data during registration.
Parental Consent for Minors: For minors, parental consent is mandatory for using the student’s Aadhar number for authentication with UIDAI.
Voluntary Registration: Registration for creating an APAAR ID is voluntary, not mandatory.

Data Security Concerns: Parents and students express concerns about sharing their Aadhar details, fearing potential leaks of personal information to external parties.
Government Assurance: The government assures that shared information will remain confidential and will only be disclosed to entities engaged in educational activities, including UDISE+ (Unified District Information System for Education Plus), scholarships, academic record maintenance, educational institutions, and recruitment agencies.
Data Control: Students retain the option to cease sharing their information with these entities at any time, with a halt in data processing. However, previously processed data remains unaffected if consent is withdrawn.