The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education has announced a significant digital shift for the upcoming board examinations. All students appearing for the Secondary School Certificate (SSC, Class X) and Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC, Class XII) exams in February-March 2025 will now be required to possess an APAAR ID. This unique identification number will be indispensable for accessing examination results and official digital marksheets via the DigiLocker platform.
Why the APAAR ID is Now Essential
The board has issued directives to all affiliated divisional boards, schools, and junior colleges to ensure the immediate registration of eligible students for the APAAR ID. In an official statement, the board emphasized that timely registration is critical to prevent any last-minute hurdles during the examination and result declaration processes. The move is part of a broader initiative to streamline academic services and improve access to government education schemes.
Once generated, the APAAR ID will serve as a permanent digital key. Students' digital marksheets will be securely stored in DigiLocker, allowing for easy retrieval at any time and eliminating concerns about loss or physical damage to paper certificates. Deepal Mali, the state board secretary, highlighted a major benefit: "This will significantly reduce the need for students to repeatedly submit physical copies of marksheets while seeking admission to higher education institutions."
Broader Impact on Admissions and Verification
The integration of APAAR ID and DigiLocker promises to transform administrative procedures. Educational institutions will be able to directly verify authenticated documents through the platform, leading to faster and more reliable admission and verification processes. This system also aims to minimize risks associated with document forgery and reduce administrative delays significantly.
Secretary Deepal Mali has made an earnest appeal to schools and junior colleges, stressing that the responsibility for facilitating a smooth registration process lies with them, in coordination with students and parents. He urged institutions to ensure completions at the earliest possible date.
The Wider Role of APAAR in Education
The utility of the APAAR ID extends far beyond board examinations. This digital identity is designed to play a pivotal role in the entire education ecosystem. It will be used for:
- Availing various government scholarships.
- Accessing welfare schemes for students.
- Completing academic verification for employment or further studies.
By maintaining a student's complete academic record in a secure, centralized digital system, the initiative seeks to enhance transparency, efficiency, and accountability across educational and administrative procedures. The board has reiterated that early compliance will enable students to fully benefit from the digital infrastructure being deployed in the sector.
Introduced in 2023 under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Credit and Qualifications Framework (NCRF), the APAAR (One Nation, One Student ID) is a specialized 12-digit identification system for students across India. According to the Ministry of Education, approximately 31.5 crore (315 million) students have already been assigned this permanent digital identity, which aims to store and manage academic records digitally, phasing out the dependency on physical certificates.
