Ethiopia rolls out student IDs, integrates biometric data to issue Fayda

Ethiopia’s National ID Program and Ministry of Education have announced that biometric digital ID has been adopted as the official student ID across educational institutions.

A government release called the official introduction of the digital ID “a critical moment in Ethiopia’s journey toward digitizing and monetizing the education sector.”

The system promises robust identity verification across all academic platforms, as well as improved data protection. It aims to streamline administrative functions with regard to admissions, record management, and the Fayda digital ID-based licensing and national exams rollout.

Pilot projects have already registered post-secondary students. The release states that “around 640,000 students’ biometric data was migrated into the National ID Program’s system for Fayda ID generation.”

“Both the Ministry of Education and the National ID Program are hopeful about the transformative capabilities of this endeavor and urge all stakeholders in the education sector to fully embrace this innovative transition,” it says.

Ethiopian government organizations have been on something of a digital ID spree lately, introducing biometric digital ID as the standard across a wide swath of services. The Federal Civil Service Commission and the Ministry of Health are among the departments who have signed on to implement digital ID. In July, Ethiopia made the use of Fayda mandatory for all transactions with financial institutions.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  digital identity  |  Ethiopia  |  Ethiopia National ID Program (NIDP)  |  Fayda  |  identity verification  |  national ID  |  students