In a significant step towards enhancing transparency and ease in the education system, the Secretary of the Department of School Education and Literacy, Shri Sanjay Kumar, along with Secretary of Higher Education, Shri K. Sanjay Murthy, and MD-CEO of CSC SPV, Shri Sanjay Rakesh, jointly inaugurated the Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (APAAR) through Common Service Centres (CSCs) in remote villages across the country.

The key objective of APAAR is to achieve ‘One Nation, One Student ID.’ Aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, APAAR introduces the concept of the Academic Bank of Credits (ABC), making it mandatory for college and university students to register. Under the new rule, possessing an ABC ID is a prerequisite for admission to any educational institution.

Speaking at the launch event, Shri Sanjay Kumar highlighted the growing number of digital services in the country, emphasizing the potential of maximizing digital services in school education through CSC. He stressed the immediate provision of provisional APAAR IDs to all school children, to be authenticated with Aadhaar and linked to Digi Locker. Shri Kumar also mentioned the consideration of a business model for Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs) providing this service.

Shri K. Sanjay Murthy underlined the role of CSCs in APAAR and related platforms, such as Samarth, Swayam, and Diksha, for the benefit of students. He emphasized that APAAR’s Academic Bank of Credits is modeled after the National Academic Depository (NAD). Shri Murthy pointed out that while ABC enables credit transfer, the final outcomes and records are administered by academic institutions.

Shri Anil Sahasrabudhe, Chairman of the All India Council for Technical Education, noted that the APAAR ID will remain with students throughout their lives. It will serve as a digital repository for credits earned, allowing students to access various opportunities by presenting their APAAR ID without the need for certificates.

In his welcome address, Shri Sanjay Rakesh stressed the importance of popularizing the APAAR ID, highlighting the revolutionary nature of the initiative. CSC VLEs will play a crucial role in enrolling students, providing them with APAAR IDs, and assisting schools without online service infrastructure.

What is the Academic Bank of Credit?

The Academic Bank of Credit (ABC) serves as a digital repository for students, housing their academic records and personal information. With the APAAR ID, students can seamlessly transfer credits between institutions for their undergraduate and postgraduate studies. The ABC ID simplifies the admission process, allowing universities to access a student’s complete academic data with a single click.

The implementation of APAAR and the Academic Bank of Credits is a transformative initiative that aligns with the evolving landscape of digital education and enhances the accessibility and transparency of academic records for students across the nation.