Thu Mar 20 03:00:00 UTC 2025: ## Concerns Rise Over Mandatory-Feeling Student ID System in India

**Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh – March 20, 2025** – A nationwide student identification system, APAAR (Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry), mandated under India’s National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, is facing growing criticism for its perceived mandatory nature despite official claims of voluntariness.

APAAR, designed to create a “One Nation, One Student ID,” links students’ academic records to Aadhaar, India’s biometric identification system, and is stored on the DigiLocker digital platform. While the government promotes APAAR as streamlining academic transitions and data verification, activists and parents express concerns over its implementation.

Although officially voluntary, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and states like Uttar Pradesh are strongly encouraging, if not pressuring, schools to achieve 100% student enrollment. This pressure is amplified by unclear communication; while the government maintains APAAR’s optional status, official circulars and FAQs emphasize its benefits without explicitly stating its voluntary nature. This ambiguity is causing confusion amongst parents, many of whom are unaware of their right to opt out.

Further fueling concerns is the lack of transparency surrounding APAAR’s development. The Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) faced repeated delays and obfuscation when attempting to access policy documents through a Right to Information request. The IFF also raises concerns about the extensive data collection on minors without sufficient legal backing and potential violations of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, regarding children’s data protection.

Teachers also voice concerns, citing duplication of work as much of the data collected by APAAR is already compiled through the Unified District Information System For Education Plus (UDISE+). Issues with name mismatches between school records and identity documents further complicate the process.

While parents can opt out, a provided template from the Software Freedom Law Centre assists in this process, the pressure to enroll remains high. Uttar Pradesh’s threat to derecognize madrassas that haven’t started the APAAR process exemplifies this pressure. Although some parents have successfully opted out, the overall lack of clarity and forceful implementation continue to raise significant concerns about data privacy, transparency, and the potential for coercion.

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