APAAR implementation must remain voluntary, inclusive: Kumar Naik

G. Kumar Naik, Raichur MP, has raised concerns over the implementation of the Academic Bank of Credits (ABC) and Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (APAAR) system, even as the Union government clarified in Parliament that the initiative is voluntary and based on informed consent.

In a statement issued on Thursday (April 2), Mr. Naik said there appears to be a gap between policy intent and ground-level preparedness, particularly in the context of recent directives issued by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).

The Ministry of Education, in its reply to an unstarred question raised by Mr. Naik in the Lok Sabha, reiterated that generation of APAAR ID is voluntary and requires explicit consent from students or parents. It also clarified that no student will be denied the opportunity to appear for board examinations owing to the absence of an APAAR ID.

However, Mr. Naik pointed out that CBSE had decided to make the 12-digit APAAR ID mandatory for registration in Classes 9 and 11 from the 2026–27 academic year, raising concerns among stakeholders.

“While the objective of creating a seamless and portable academic record system is important, its implementation must remain strictly transparent and inclusive. Parents must be clearly informed that APAAR is voluntary, and no child should face any disadvantage due to technical or administrative hurdles,” Mr. Naik said.

He noted that a significant number of students are still outside the APAAR system, with reports suggesting that nearly 40% of students — over 4.5 crore — have not been enrolled. Schools, he said, are often leading the enrolment process without ensuring adequate awareness among parents.

The Ministry, in its response, acknowledged that technical issues such as discrepancies between Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) and Aadhaar data have prevented some students from obtaining APAAR IDs despite no fault of their own, and advised States and schools to facilitate corrections.

Mr. Naik said such challenges could lead to unintended exclusion and added administrative burden on families. “There must be stronger safeguards for data protection and a clear mechanism to resolve technical issues promptly so that students are not affected,” he said.

He also urged the Union government to ensure better communication with parents and schools, and to address implementation gaps before expanding the scope of the system.

The APAAR initiative, introduced under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, aims to create a lifelong academic identity for students, enabling credit transfer and seamless tracking of academic progress across institutions.