Harmonized data repository for student digital ID in India about to go live

A platform that will serve as a central data repository for a student digital ID scheme dubbed “One Nation One Student ID” in India is set to reach operation in February. It will be used as a data authentication software for the program based on “peer crowdsourcing” is being developed, News18 reports.

The student ID, labelled Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry ID (APAAR ID) which is linked to a student’s Aadhaar biometric ID, has already been issued to about 20 million students in the higher education system, and plans are afoot to extend the issuance across the education spectrum.

The One Nation One Student ID initiative is enshrined in India’s National Education Policy (NEP) of 2020 and the objective is to issue a 12-digit ID to students which will serve as a unique ID throughout their educational journey – from pre-nursery to PhD.

Once ready, the new database will aggregate data from various bodies which, until now, have each been holding information from various institutions of the high education sector.

Anil Sahasrabuddhe, chairperson of the National Educational Technology Forum (NETF), is quoted as saying that one of the first tasks of the new data management platform will be to certify all the data collected from the different government bodies, before it is used for authentication.

Among the advantages of having a harmonized platform for managing the student data is the fact that ranking and accrediting bodies will be able to access data supplied by institutions from a central source, the official said.

There have been concerns that the APAAR ID for students is a superfluous credential.

Union govt wants full student ID integration in next three years

In the meantime, the Union government has directed that all measures be put in place to ensure full integration of the One Nation One Student ID initiative across all educational sectors of the country from the 2026-2027 academic year, per Hindustan Times.

This proposal, which was contained in a document presented last month at an education conference for chief secretaries, seeks to have all student records integrated into the ID.

Explaining further details on the APAAR ID, the document, presented by the Union ministry of education, notes that the initiative will streamline the collection and storage of data on students’ academic records.

It states that apart from acting as a repository for students’ academic credits, it can also allow access to DigiLocker, a digital government platform where digital documents and certificates can be stored.

Apart from the full integration of the APAAR ID with student records, the Union education ministry has also proposed that from the 2026-2027 school year, all admissions be done digitally in order to make the process more efficient.

Digital library project rolls out in Tanzania

In an education-related story, each school in Tanzania will soon have a digital library, and each student and teacher will have an account for it. This is thanks to a collaboration between the Tanzania Institute for Education (TIE) and Snapplify, an edtech firm.

As reported by Techbuild, the digital library project will be rolled out in the next three years, and more than 195,000 teachers and over 11 million students will have a personalized Snapplify account to enable access to a wide range of academic resources on the digital library platform.

Content on the digital library can also be downloaded and accessed offline on mobile devices such as smartphones.

To function 24/7, the digital library will provide users access to a collection of over 50,000 books as well as specific content prescribed by the TIE.

The initiative, among other things, aims to promote diversity and inclusion among Tanzanian students.

Snapplify says the project also seeks not only to “democratize access to education” through technology, but also to make a digital learning ecosystem available to students and to “inspire a love for learning and encourage academic excellence among Tanzanian youth.”

Article Topics

Africa  |  biometrics  |  digital ID  |  identity document  |  identity verification  |  India  |  student ID