APAAR ID generation: Local authorities recommend derecognition of 90 madrasas in Uttar Pradesh's Bahraich

Bahraich: The local authorities in Bahraich have recommended to the Uttar Pradesh government to cancel the recognition of 90 madrasas in the district for their alleged failure to generate APAAR IDs under the Centre's 'one nation, one student' initiative.

Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry or APAAR is a specialised identification system designed for all students in the country.

Besides the madrasas, 24 secondary schools in the district under the board of secondary education have also been served notices for non-compliance, officials said on Sunday.

District minority welfare officer Sanjay Mishra told reporters, "Despite repeated notices and phone calls, 107 out of the 301 recognised madrasas in the district made zero progress in APAAR ID generation. These institutions were given a final opportunity to comply with the order. Upon review, it was found that while 17 madrasas have now initiated the process, 90 still showed no progress." A letter has been sent to the state government recommending the cancellation of their recognition, he added.

The secondary education department has also taken a strict stance on APAAR ID registration.

A department official said that Bahraich has 306 government, aided, and Sanskrit schools affiliated to the board of secondary education, and all of them were directed to ensure APAAR ID registration for every student.

District inspector of schools (DIOS) Manoj Kumar Ahirwar said, "The government has issued strict directives regarding APAAR ID generation. Despite this, some schools remained negligent. Notices have been issued to 24 schools which have not registered a single student." The APAAR initiative, introduced under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, aims to provide students with a unique digital identity and store all their academic credentials in one place.

The 12-digit digital ID, linked to DigiLocker and the Academic Bank of Credits (ABC), facilitates access to government schemes and records students' academic progress.

All citizens aged five and above studying in a recognised educational institution, including schools, colleges, and madrasas, are eligible to apply for an APAAR ID.