Context: Last week, several state governments requested schools to seek parental consent for the creation of a new student identity card known as the Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (APAAR). 

• The Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (APAAR), dubbed as ‘One Nation, One Student ID’, is an Education Ecosystem Regi stry or an ‘EduLocker’. It was part of the National Education Policy (NEP) of 2020, under which the government aims to create unique ID numbers for school students across India.

About One Nation One Student ID Registration Scheme

• The government has started the process of ‘One Nation, One Student ID’ for school students across the country, also known as the Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (APAAR).

• This ID registration scheme is a system initiated by the Ministry of Education. 

• It assigns a unique identification number to students using their Aadhaar number with parental consent. 

• The APAAR will give each student enrolled from pre-primary to higher education a unique identification number. This will be in addition to the already existing Aadhaar ID that every individual has. 

• Aim: To streamline the admission process when students transfer between educational institutions nationwide.

• Additionally, teachers are required to update students’ blood group, height, and weight in the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) database. 

• This system, known as EduLocker, enables students to digitally track their academic progress and co-curricular achievements.

• The data collected on each student by the schools will be stored in a centrally functioning District Information for Education portal.

Key Benefits

• The APAAR being a lifelong ID number will make it easier for students to track their academic journey and achievements. They will be able to digitally store their exam results, learning outcomes, and co-curricular achievements, such as rankings in Olympiads or receiving specialised skills. 

• It will also be helpful in the hassle-free transfer of a student from one school to another, as all the documents required for admission will be obtained in one place. 

Concerns with India’s One Nation One Student ID Scheme

• Data Security: The ongoing concerns about Aadhaar’s data security, and the numerous instances of data breaches, many people have raised concerns about the One Nation One Student ID registration process.

• The Administrative Burden on Schools: Schools have been asked to create awareness about APAAR ID among parents and to inform them about its uses before taking their consent.

• Effect on Academics: Schools just completed work of students’ AADHAAR Card update on UDISE. Now, this new ID card carrying updates on each student’s height, weight and blood-group would leave teachers’ no time to focus on academics.

• Unrest among Teachers: The list of non-academic tasks given to teachers keeps increasing while the number of teachers remains inadequate has led to unrest among teachers. 

Conclusion

• Given the ongoing concerns about Aadhaar's data security, and the numerous instances of data breaches, many people have raised concerns about the initiation of the APAAR registration process.

• On the other hand, school authorities have raised the issue of already pending Aadhaar verification of students, which is kept optional. The addition of the APAAR registry can increase the administrative burden on the teaching faculty.

• To achieve success in this project, it is a must to resolve arising and associated issues. Governments need to assure the public about data safety and need to work more on updation of security checks and technologies.