Assam announces APAAR ID rollout; digital identity for students to enhance academic tracking

NEW DELHI: Assam is taking a step in transforming its education system by introducing the Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (APAAR) ID, a 12-digit unique digital identity for school-enrolled students. This initiative is part of the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and aims to streamline academic records, improve student tracking, and reduce dropout rates across the state.

The APAAR ID will serve as a permanent digital identity linked to the Academic Bank of Credits (ABC) and DigiLocker, allowing students to digitally store and access their academic records, including marksheets and certificates. Ranoj Pegu, the education minister of Assam, took to X (formerly Twitter) to announce the rollout of the APAAR ID. He urged parents to actively participate in the process by attending Parent-Teacher Meetings (PTMs) to provide their consent for the generation of their child’s APAAR ID. The consent of parents or guardians is essential as the ID will only be created for students who possess a valid Aadhar ID and a Permanent Education Number (PEN).

The X post read, "Assam is rolling out the APAAR ID, a 12-digit lifelong digital identity for school-enrolled students. This initiative under the New Education Policy 2020 will streamline academic records, track student progress, and support students in their educational journey. Parents, join the Parent-Teacher Meetings to give consent for your child’s APAAR ID! "

APAAR ID Generation: Details required

The following student information is mandatory for generating an APAAR ID - UDISE+ PEN, student’s name, date of birth (DOB), gender, mobile number, mother’s name, father’s name, name as per Aadhaar, and Aadhaar number. Once the APAAR ID is created, it is automatically added to the student’s DigiLocker account, where the virtual APAAR ID card can be found under the "Issued Documents" section. Students can also track the status of their APAAR ID generation through the UDISE+ portal's APAAR Module, which provides a list of students and their APAAR ID statuses.

Also read Rural students to have APAAR IDs soon for credit storage, college admissions

APAAR ID: Written parental consent required

The official communication from Om Prakash, IAS, Mission Director of Samagra Shiksha, Assam, directed all district-level education officers, including Additional District Commissioners (Education), District Mission Coordinators, Inspectors of Schools, and District Elementary Education Officers, to initiate the process at the school level. Schools will use the UDISE+ portal to generate APAAR IDs after verifying parental consent, which are required to be given in writing during PTMs. Parents or guardians are required to physically sign and submit the consent letter for the ID to be generated.

Part of "One Nation, One Student ID" initiative

District education officials have been instructed to prepare a schedule for organizing PTMs and to train headteachers and nodal teachers on the process of generating APAAR IDs. The initiative is expected to bring about a significant transformation in Assam’s educational landscape, improving both transparency and accountability. As per the official statement, the initiative is part of the broader “One Nation, One Student ID” programme, which aligns with the NEP 2020’s vision of digitalizing academic records and ensuring a unified system of tracking student progress across India.