Prayagraj: UP Board has urged schools to ensure that students’ 12-digit APAAR IDs are recorded in advance registration and examination forms, saying the digital identity will help maintain a secure and transparent academic record from school to higher education. Though providing the APAAR ID is not mandatory while filling Class 9 and 11 advance registration or Class 10 and 12 examination forms, the board has asked schools and parents to make efforts to get every student registered.Board secretary Bhagwati Singh said APAAR, or “One Nation, One Student ID”, would create a permanent digital identity for students, linking their academic credits, report cards and certificates. Mark sheets, transfer certificates and other documents can be stored digitally through DigiLocker, reducing the risk of documents being lost or damaged.“The APAAR ID will help create a secure digital academic record for students and make it easier for them to access scholarships, welfare schemes and educational facilities based on verified information,” Singh said.He said the process of creating the ID is simple and requires parental consent. School principals have been advised to facilitate the process and ensure that, as far as possible, all students have their APAAR IDs entered before the deadline.In another important decision concerning students’ records, UP Board has issued directions to schools to ensure that the date of birth recorded at the time of first admission is supported by a valid document. The move follows instances of applications seeking correction of date of birth in High School certificates, where the supporting transfer certificates from primary or upper-primary schools raised questions about the age recorded at the time of admission.Singh said the date of birth printed on the High School certificate and mark sheet is an important academic record and therefore must be based on proper documentary evidence. Under the Right to Education Act, 2009, the prescribed age for admission to Class 1 is six years.The board has directed schools to rely on a birth certificate for recording the date of birth at the time of first admission. In its absence, the prescribed alternatives include hospital or auxiliary nurse and midwife records, anganwadi records, the village birth and death register, or a declaration of the child’s age by the parent or guardian through an affidavit.Schools have also been advised to clearly mention the document on the basis of which the student’s date of birth was entered in their records.
