One nation, one student ID: What is APAAR card? What every parent should know, benefits and more

Several state governments have requested parental consent for implementing the Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (APAAR), a key feature of the ‘One Nation, One Student ID’ program inspired by the 2020 National Education Policy. APAAR aims to simplify academic tracking and document management for students across India while ensuring secure digital storage of educational records.

APAAR, short for Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry, is a lifelong identification system for students. It allows seamless tracking of academic progress from pre-primary education to higher studies. Each student will receive a unique APAAR ID linked to the Academic Bank Credit (ABC), a digital repository that securely stores educational credits and certificates.

APAAR also integrates with Digilocker, enabling students to access crucial documents like exam results and certifications digitally, reducing the dependence on physical records.

Launched under the National Education Policy 2020, APAAR addresses various challenges in the education system, including fraudulent and duplicate certificates, by offering a trusted point of reference for educational institutions. Only authorized certifying bodies can add credits to a student’s APAAR account, ensuring authenticity.

Key Features and Functionality

    •    Unique ID for Every Student: Each student receives a unique APAAR ID for storing and managing educational credits and certificates.

    •    Academic Credit Transfer: Data stored in APAAR can migrate seamlessly between institutions when students transfer schools, eliminating the need for physical transfer certificates or documentation.

    •    Voluntary Aadhaar Integration: Students can choose to verify their information using Aadhaar, which is used solely for authentication. For minors, parental consent is required for Aadhaar-based verification.

While the initiative offers significant benefits, concerns about data privacy and Aadhaar usage have surfaced. Some parents fear the potential misuse of their children’s personal information.

The government has assured that all data will remain confidential and used strictly for educational purposes. Moreover, students and parents can withdraw consent at any time, halting further data processing. However, data already processed will remain unaffected.

Students can enroll in the APAAR system by providing basic details such as name, age, date of birth, gender, and a photograph. Aadhaar-based verification is optional and used solely to cross-check these details. Parental consent is required for minors to enable Aadhaar authentication through UIDAI.

Despite assurances, parents and students have raised concerns about data security, particularly regarding Aadhaar integration. Some worry that sensitive information may be leaked to external parties.

To address these fears, the government emphasises that all data will be stored securely and used exclusively for educational purposes. Any sharing of data with third parties, such as the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+), will only occur with student or parental consent. Furthermore, students have the option to stop data sharing at any point, with all processing halted immediately upon withdrawal of consent.