Lok Sabha Question No. 27 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-02-03
Subject: APAAR for Digital Education
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Shri Arun Bharti

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 27 ANSWERED ON 03.02.2025

## APAAR for Digital Education

## 27. SHRI ARUN BHARTI:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

(a)  the  measures  taken  by  the  Government  to  address  the  privacy  and  data  security  concern regarding the Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (APAAR) system, especially for students under 18 years of age; (b)  whether  the  Government  has  any  plan  to  integrate  the  APAAR  system  with  other  digital initiatives in education; (c) the steps taken by the Government to ensure the uniform implementation of the above system in the urban and rural areas, especially in the far-flung and under-privileged areas; (d)  whether  the  Government  has  the  data  regarding  the  expected  duplicate  or  false  certificates which will be curbed with the above system, if so, the details thereof; and (e) whether the Government has any plans to expand APAAR system beyond school education to track  skill  development  and  professional  certifications,  creating  a  lifelong  academic  record  for  all citizens in next 10 years, if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (DR. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR)

(a)  to  (e)  The  Government  of  India  has  launched  National  Education  Policy  2020  with  an  aim  to provide holistic and multidisciplinary education  with multiple entry and exit facility. It also aims to ensure universal access to education at all  levels,  equitable  and  inclusive  education  and  lifelong learning ecosystem.

To  achieve  these  objectives,  a  registry  framework  is  required  to  identify  each  entity  to  track  the academic and skilling journey of the students/learners throughout his life with many uses such as transfer of credits, transfer from one institute to other institute etc. It also aims to facilitate and track, the integration of programme with skill component, choice-based courses, planning and improvement in curriculum as per the requirement of stakeholders.

Accordingly, Ministry of Education has launched Academic Bank of Credits (ABC) Scheme on 29th July 2021 to create unique id for seamless interaction amongst the stakeholders of the education ecosystem. Scheme aims to facilitate flexibility of curriculum framework, multiple entry multiple exits, interdisciplinary mobility of the students with appropriate 'Credit transfer', and enables visibility to progress  and  targeted  decision-making  at  multiple  levels.  APAAR  ID  is  designed  to  accumulate credits awarded from School Education, Higher Education as well as Skill Institutions.

In February 2024, to expand the reach of APAAR initiative to every corner of the nation, the Ministry of Education has partnered with CSC e-Governance Services India Limited to facilitate the creation of APAAR ID.

Detail process for enrolment for students/learners and institutions are available on https://www.abc.gov.in.  All  State  Governments  have  also  been  communicated  the  process  to  be followed  for  enrolment  of  the  students  along  with  the  role  of  the  parents  in  this  process.  Data Security and Privacy guidelines prescribed by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) have been followed to ensure safety and privacy of data.

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