'1 nation, 1 student ID' to be extended to schools

The government is likely to soon extend its one nation, one student ID initiative to schools to ensure seamless integration with higher education, as envisaged in the National Education Policy 2020, officials said.

- Fareeha Iftikhar

Under the initiative, an Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (APAAR) card with a 12-digit unique ID will be provided to students. The Centre has launched the initiative in higher education and over 22 million students are being issued APAAR IDs as of now.

APAAR, an Aadhaar-verified ID, is a gateway to students’ academic bank of credit (ABC), which is a digital repository of credits. It is also used to access Digilocker, a digital locker where students can store important documents, including mark sheets and certificates. APAAR will eventually be a lifetime ID for students from pre-primary to PhD.

Since education is a state subject, it is not mandatory for the states to adopt any initiative under the NEP 2020.