The Union Education Ministry recently notified the states that the Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry, or APAAR, would be implemented. In its letter to all states, the ministry directed them to obtain the consent of parents of all schools under their respective jurisdiction before beginning the APAAR enrolment process.
The Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry - APAAR, also known as the "One Nation, One Student ID," is an Education Ecosystem Registry, also known as a "EduLocker."
Earlier this year, Dr Anil Sahasrabuddhe, the head of the National Educational Technology Forum (NETF) and a former AICTE chairman, mentioned working on a registry of the entire educational ecosystem, which includes students, teachers, and schools and colleges.
Under the NEP 2020, an autonomous body under the Ministry of Education was established to address gaps and create a strategic thrust on technology-based intervention in the education domain. For example, establishing content and technology standards, as well as guidelines for online/digital teaching and learning. The APAAR will assign a unique identification number to each student enrolled in pre-primary through higher education. This will be in addition to the Aadhaar ID that each individual already has.
The APAAR or EduLocker will be a lifelong ID number for students, allowing them to track their academic progress and achievements in real time. They will be able to store their exam results, learning outcomes, co-curricular achievements such as ranking in Olympiads or receiving specialised skill training digitally, and much more. Furthermore, students transferring from one school to another will have fewer difficulties gaining admission to a new institution in any part of the country.
