India’s education system is set for a transformation with the introduction of the Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (APAAR), a 12-digit unique ID designed to track student progress across institutions. Anil D Sahasrabudhe, chairman of the National Educational Technology Forum and National Board of Accreditation, announced this at Anna University’s 45th convocation. He shared that APAAR IDs have already been issued to over four crore higher education students, with plans to expand to school students.
Created in alignment with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, APAAR will offer a secure, digital record of a student’s academic history, including grades, certifications, and coursework across institutions.
To obtain an APAAR ID, students require parental consent and Aadhaar verification. Integrated with DigiLocker, the system enables easy sharing of academic records for college admissions or job applications, allowing institutions and recruiters to access verified documents directly.
Sahasrabudhe highlighted that while APAAR remains optional, it offers benefits like streamlined data handling. An upcoming initiative, One Data, One Nation, will centralise educational data for agencies by 2024-25. He also underscored that while AI may assist in education, it cannot replace teachers’ roles in fostering original, analytical thinking.
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During the convocation, Higher Education Secretary K Gopal presented a report on Anna University’s achievements, while Governor R N Ravi presided. A total of 503 students attended the ceremony to receive their degrees, with over 1,14,890 degrees awarded overall.
