GoI sets 3-month deadline for making APAAR ID as single window to record students' journey in Jammu and Kashmir

Syed Rizwan Geelani

Srinagar, Jan 03:

In a significant development, the Department of School Education and Literacy (DSEL) Ministry of Education (MoE) has set three month deadline for the J&K's School Education Department (SED) to make APAAR ID as single window identifier to record the journey of students.

In this regard, an official communication has been issued to the J&K SED by MoE stressing on making APAAR ID a comprehensive and seamless record of a student's academic journey across key touch-points.

"It is important to establish the APAAR ID as a single student identifier  that encapsulates the student's journey covering both academic and non-academic endeavours," the official communication reads.

It further reads that the initiative aligns with the vision of the National Education Policy (NEP) -2020 with its emphasis to use digital  technology for tracking students learning outcomes.

"It is important to initiate Integration of APAAR IDs with all government-run platforms and applications used at various stages of a student's life cycle," the official communication reads.

It reads that APAAR ID should be utilized as a primary identifier for all examinations and assessments conducted by State School Educational Boards besides all entrance tests, admissions inter-school transfers or migration and scholarship linked examinations.

Under the new initiative, any other large assessments or standardized testing being conducted would  inter-alia entail the minimal five identified activities on the digital platforms.

The MoE has stressed in incorporating APAAR  ID as a universal and  default login functionality in relevant IT or digital platforms besides enabling e-KYC (Know Your Candidate) processes under candidate  consent to prefill  application forms and identification and uploading issued documents to APAAR 10 linked Digilocker account.

Following the instructions from MoE, the Project Director Samagra Shiksha J&K has written to all the Chief Education Officers (CEOs) to make comprehensive record of a student's academic journey across  key  touch-points.

"APAAR ID should be utilized as a primary identifier for all the examinations besides incorporating APAAR ID as a universal and default login functionality," the official document reads.

The Project Director Samagra J&K has said that it was important to directly drive the  activities in this regard considering the  criticality  of this to create an ecosystem of Ease of  Education.

"UDISE+ would continue to be the single source of truth for APAAR ID going forward," the letter reads.

All the CEOs have been asked to continue as Nodal Officer and ensure creation of 100 percent  APAAR IDs in  all Schools across all management types  in their concerned districts.

"I am directed to request you that all five identified activities for digital platforms should be completed on or before March 31 of 2025 to ensure successful implementation of APAAR ID next academic session," the letter reads.