School Students to Get Unique ID From Pre-Primary to Higher Education: Govt

The educational landscape in India is on the brink of a groundbreaking transformation with the imminent launch of the government's 'One Nation One Student ID' platform in February. This initiative, aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, aims to revolutionize academic tracking across all educational levels by consolidating data from diverse higher education bodies into a unified portal.

Unifying Student and Institution IDs

Derived from the NEP 2020, this ambitious project intends to issue unique Aadhar-verified digital IDs to students, teachers, and institutions. These IDs, notably the 12-digit Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (APAAR) IDs, have already commenced issuance, covering over 20 million students in higher education. The scope will extend to encompass school students, teachers, and all educational institutions, fostering seamless academic monitoring.

Foundation for Academic Transparency

Anil Sahasrabuddhe, chairperson of the National Educational Technology Forum (NETF) under the Ministry of Education (MoE), disclosed the imminent launch of the digital platform aimed at integrating data from pivotal educational agencies. This centralized repository will house information collated from entities like the University Grants Commission (UGC), National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), and National Board of Accreditation (NBA). Its primary role will involve the meticulous validation of data drawn from these disparate sources.

Ensuring Data Authenticity

However, the critical challenge lies in authenticating this voluminous data. To address this, NETF is pioneering the development of a 'peer crowdsourcing' software. This innovative tool seeks to verify information by reaching out to multifarious stakeholders associated with educational institutions. Questionnaires will be circulated among industry partners, competing institutions, and visiting faculty, facilitating a rigorous data authentication process. While this revolutionary system is in its nascent stages, it's projected to be fully operational within the next six months to a year.

This technological leap forward is poised to enhance transparency, accuracy, and accountability in the Indian education system. The 'One Nation One Student ID' initiative promises an era of seamless academic monitoring, enabling holistic evaluation and analysis of educational standards and performance.