Is the APAAR ID for students mandatory?

APAAR ID:
• APAAR stands for Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry.
• It enables ‘One Nation, One Student ID’ to store students’ academic accomplishments.
• The ID is linked to Aadhaar and stored in DigiLocker.
• The system provides students with standardized data on their marksheets and institutional affiliation.
• It is generated through the Unified District Information System For Education Plus (UDISE+) portal.

Is APAAR Mandatory?
• APAAR is not mandatory, but the government describes its benefits to students.
• The CBSE and states like Uttar Pradesh have set expectations for the ID to be issued to all students.
• Parents often do not receive clear information about the voluntary nature of the programme.

Data Security Concerns
• There is a lack of clarity over the genesis of the APAAR programme.
• Teachers have questioned the need for APAAR, arguing that the data collected is already collated by teachers for the UDISE+.
• Section 9(3) of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 prohibits tracking or behavioural monitoring of children or targeted advertising directed at children.

Generating APAAR ID
• Schools verify a student’s “demographic details,” such as their name and date of birth.
• Parents are required to fill a consent form, and after another step of authentication, the APAAR ID is generated.

Opt-Out
• Parents have the option to write to schools and opt out of the scheme.
• Recent developments are increasing pressure on parents and school authorities to ensure APAAR generation.