Must Every Student in India Obtain Apaar ID?
Officially Optional, Yet Parents May Face Pressure to Comply
January 24, 2025
The central government appears to be aggressively promoting the Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (Apaar), saying it aims to streamline academic tracking through unique student IDs and a comprehensive database. However, the risks and challenges associated with this system, coupled with the government’s alleged coercive tactics to secure state compliance, cast doubt on its overall benefits.
Apaar, according to the government, is “a specialized identification system designed for all students in India. This initiative is part of the ‘One Nation, One Student ID’ program …, aligning with the new National Education Policy of 2020.”
The Apaar website does not specify whether registration is voluntary or mandatory, and its FAQs do not address this question. Media reports suggest significant pressure on parents to consent to their children’s registration through schools, which are themselves pressured by state education departments under directives from the Union government. This indicates a likely coercion behind the so-called consent process.
In Kolhapur district in Maharashtra, school principals and teachers were compelled to expedite registration under the threat of salary cuts and derecognition, particularly in unaided and self-financed institutions, according to Hindustan Times.
Aside from the alleged coercion, activists have raised significant concerns regarding privacy, data security, teacher workload and the centralisation of student information—issues that must be addressed before proceeding further with Apaar.
One of the foremost issues is the pressure it places on schools and educators. Teachers, already laden with significant teaching and administrative duties, are now tasked with digitising student records, adding to their workload and diverting their focus from the primary goal of teaching.
Further, Apaar’s centralisation of student data poses a significant threat to diversity and freedom in education.
Such a database enables close monitoring of students, which could pave the way for undue government interference, activists told Scroll.in. The potential for this database to classify students based on political ideologies or identify dissenting voices only amplifies concerns about privacy and freedom of expression. By consolidating information under one system, the government risks creating a surveillance tool.
The fear of data misuse is not unfounded either, given past instances where Aadhaar data breaches compromised citizen privacy. The World Economic Forum’s 2019 Global Risks Report, noted: “The largest (data breach) was in India, where the government ID database, Aadhaar, reportedly suffered multiple breaches that potentially compromised the records of all 1.1 billion registered citizens. It was reported in January 2018 that criminals were selling access to the database at a rate of Rs 500 for 10 minutes, while in March a leak at a state-owned utility company allowed anyone to download names and ID numbers.”
On June 2, 2020, DigiLocker, which is also part of the Apaar system, admitted to a “potential vulnerability in the sign-up flow,” as reported by The Hindu. DigiLocker is a government-backed digital platform that allows citizens to securely store, access and share their official documents and certificates online.
Furthermore, the possibility of Apaar data being used for private profiteering is another alarming issue, activists told Scroll.in. By creating an extensive database of students, the government risks enabling big private universities and ed-tech companies to access this information for commercial gains. This could result in aggressive targeting of students by private institutions, deepening inequalities in education.
The federal structure of India’s governance is another casualty of such centralised initiatives. States that resist implementing Apaar may face financial repercussions. In August 2024, The Times of India reported that the central government refused to release funds to Tamil Nadu for its opposition to the National Education Policy.
Such coercive federalism undermines the rights of states to prioritise local needs and adapt educational policies accordingly. Homogenising education disregards the diversity of regional contexts, languages and cultural needs.
Government-run schools in India have been facing numerous challenges, from teacher shortages and inadequate infrastructure to low compliance with the Right to Education (RTE) Act. The RTE compliance stands at a dismal 25.5% nationwide, according to a 2023 report by The Hindu. Many schools also lack basic amenities like toilets, drinking water and functional classrooms.
Addressing these urgent gaps should take precedence over implementing a system that complicates the existing educational framework. Besides, education, which is a concurrent subject under the Indian Constitution, requires collaboration and respect for regional autonomy.
