“One Nation, One Student ID”: Assamese students can now register for APAAR IDs

Guwahati, Sept. 22: The Assam Education Department has mandated that all state-enrolled students register for a 12-digit Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (APAAR ID), which is valid for life.

This program is a component of the “One Nation, One Student ID” initiative, which is in line with the 2020 New Education Policy (NEP). Only students who have a current Permanent Education Number (PEN) and Aadhaar ID will be able to generate an APAAR ID at the school level through the UDISE+ portal.

With a connection to DigiLocker, which stores all academic records digitally, including marksheets and certificates, and the Academic Bank of Credits (ABC), the APAAR ID will act as a permanent digital identity for students. According to a letter from the Samagra Shiksha office, “This will facilitate unified tracking of students’ academic progress, reduce dropout rates, and help track Out of School Children.”

Education Minister Ranoj Pegu announced, “Assam is rolling out the APAAR ID, a 12-digit lifelong digital identity for school-enrolled students,” on a well-known microblogging site. As part of the New Education Policy 2020, this project will track student progress, simplify academic records, and assist students as they pursue their education. Please attend the parent-teacher conferences to provide permission for your child to receive an APAAR ID.

The education department made clear that in order to generate an APAAR ID, parental or guardian consent is required. The Board of Secondary Education, Assam (SEBA) had sent a directive to all affiliated school principals and headmasters in August, prior to the APAAR launch, requiring them to arrange Aadhaar update camps. These camps are essential for the required updating of students’ biometric data, according to SEBA instructions. In order to ensure that students between the ages of 5 and 7 and 15 and 17 completed the Mandatory Biometric Update (MBU) and linked their mobile numbers to their Aadhaar, Aadhaar held camps. As per the directive issued by the Deputy Director of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) in April 2024, this action has been taken.