What is APAAR ID and is it different from Aadhaar?

New Delhi: In line with its earlier move of the One Nation One Ration Card, the government of India has come up with a similar initiative for the students of the country. To bring all educational details of students into one digital account, the government plans to initiate One Nation One Student ID, also known as Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry ID (APAAR), by 2026-27 under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Presented by the Union Ministry of Education at the third national conference of chief secretaries held in Delhi in December 2023, the proposals were part of a document titled ‘Schooling: access and quality’.

What is an APAAR ID? The Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry, abbreviated as APAAR, is a unique permanent account for students studying in private or government schools and colleges across the nation. This move of the nation will help the students of India keep all their academic records in one place, digitally. The aim of generating an APAAR ID for the students of India is to digitally consolidate complete academic records such as scholarships, degrees, rewards, and other credits into a specified permanent account.

Open to all students across the nation, this initiative of the government also aims to reduce fraud and duplication of educational certificates by ensuring a single, trusted reference for educational institutions. Benefits of the APAAR ID Similar to the Permanent Account Number, this move of the government will provide a lifelong ID to the students of India, which will help keep track of their academic journeys and achievements. Additionally, this account will help easily transfer all academic details of students from one school to another and to college.

As part of the initiative, schools and colleges will provide this card to each enrolled student from pre-primary to higher education. This unique ID will prove beneficial for the students in the case of transferring their parents from one place to another throughout the country. Students with APAAR ID will be able to use the credit score for their higher education or for employment in the future.

This ID will serve multiple purposes for the students, such as admissions-related benefits, entrance tests conducted by NTA, availing of government benefits, scholarship disbursement, award recognition, etc. , for students, teachers and other users. Moreover, APAAR will also ease the job of teachers and others by providing details about dropout students.

As per the government’s proposal, the ID’s vision is to bring positive change and ensure the state government keeps track of dropout rates, literacy rates, and more. Additionally, the information collected through the ID will help the government make a better futuristic plan for the development of students and the nation. Additional details included in APAAR ID In addition to including all the student’s academic details, such as educational journey, achievements, certificates, and others, the APAAR will also consist of the student’s biological information, such as height, weight, and blood group.

Is APAAR different from Aadhaar ? Yes, APAAR is completely different from Aadhaar. While the AADHAAR, a 12-digit unique identity number obtained voluntarily by all residents of India, is generated by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), APAAR is a unique ID number generated under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, especially for the students of the country. The AADHAAR is generated based on the biometrics of the citizens of India, and APAAR will be generated based on the student’s academic details.

The AADHAAR is generated to ensure a more streamlined and transparent method of providing certain government benefits and subsidies to fellow citizens. Aadhaar can be used as proof of identity and address, whereas APAAR is a lifetime ID for students to track their educational journey and achievements and cannot be used as identity proof. Will APAAR be linked with the Aadhaar ID? Though the APAAR ID will be linked with the Aadhaar ID of the students, it will not replace the value and importance of the Aadhaar ID.

APAAR ID enables students to keep track of their educational details on a digital platform. Will APAAR ID be mandatory for all students? At present, the APAAR ID is not mandatory for all students; however, the government is motivating all students to participate actively in this initiative. Parents have been free to make decisions about their child’s APAAR ID.

Before creating an APAAR ID for the students, the schools need to seek consent from the parents of the student. Parents will be free to withdraw their consent at any time. Requirements and procedures to generate APAAR ID The child must be enrolled in a school anywhere in the country.

The child should have a valid Aadhaar card. The student must sign up on DigiLocker using their phone and Aadhaar numbers. It is important to have parental consent before generating an APAAR ID.

The school will initiate the procedure after getting consent from the student’s parents. The school will provide all academic details collected from the student. After the school provides all the required information, an APAAR ID will be generated on the name of the student.

Moreover, a student can also generate his/her APAAR ID by registering himself or herself on any of the two other platforms, including DigiLocker and UMANG. How can students login to their APAAR ID? To login to APAAR ID, students must visit the official APAAR ID website. On the homepage, check out the ‘Login’ section and click on it.

Provide your credentials, such as the unique APAAR ID and password. Click on the ‘Submit’ or Login button. Following that, the students will have access to their APAAR ID account.

.