Panaji: Biometric authentication of 98% or 1.58 lakh school students in Goa has been successfully carried out by their respective schools, according to data from the Centre's school education department. From nursery level up to Class VIII, there are 1.61 lakh students enrolled in the state. The Centre has directed Goa government officials to complete the authentication of data for the remaining students as well.
Mandatory Biometric Updates for Students
The Centre has made it essential for states to complete the mandatory biometric update (MBU) in Aadhaar when a student turns five years old, and once again at the age of 15. This requirement is part of a broader initiative to ensure that student records are up-to-date and linked to their unique identity.
Collaboration Between UIDAI and Education Department
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and the Department of School Education and Literacy have collaborated to provide MBU status pertaining to the Aadhaar of school children on the central school data portal. This integration allows schools and authorities to track the status of biometric updates in real-time.
Importance of Timely Aadhaar Updates
Central officials emphasized that it is crucial to update Aadhaar details and biometrics online in a timely manner. In the future, these updates will be mandatory to avail of various government schemes and to answer centralized examinations such as NEET and JEE. The officials noted that many times, students and parents rush for Aadhaar updates at the last moment, leading to unnecessary anxiety. This can be avoided with proactive and timely biometric updates.
Introduction of APAAR ID Under NEP
Following the introduction of the National Education Policy (NEP), the APAAR ID, a unique 12-digit identification number, was introduced for school students. This ID is allotted to each student as a step in the creation of an Academic Bank of Credits for school students, which will store their academic progress over time. The APAAR ID is created using a child's Aadhaar number, leading to the opening of a DigiLocker account for the student for the digital storage of documents.
By ensuring that biometric data is updated and linked to the APAAR ID, students can seamlessly transition through their academic journey and access various benefits and services without last-minute hurdles.
