‘One Nation, One Student ID’ is building India’s lifelong learning digital ecosystem

New Delhi, July 1 (IANS) Students can now maintain a digital record of their achievements, simplify credit transfer between institutions, and improve transparency in maintaining academic records using Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (APAAR) — a unique 12-digit student identification number — linked to the Academic Bank of Credits (ABC) system.

The platform also supports integration with schools, universities, skill institutions, and other education stakeholders, creating a connected education ecosystem.

ABC, from Ministry of Education, is regulated by the University Grants Commission (UGC). It is built to support every learner’s journey by providing a digital platform for storing, managing, transferring, and redeeming academic credits earned by students from recognised educational institutions.

It is aimed to create a flexible, learner-friendly education system in which learning achievements can be recognised, stored, and used throughout a person’s life.

It supports the vision of the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, and the National Credit Framework (NCrF) by enabling credit transfer, multiple entry and exit options, and recognition of learning across different institutions and disciplines.

The objective of APAAR is ‘One Nation, One Student ID’. It was conceptualised under the National Education Policy (NEP, 2020) in which all college, or university-going students are required to register on ABC.

APAAR creates a single academic identity for every learner.

Accessible through DigiLocker, it brings together a student’s educational records from school, higher education, skill development, and other learning programmes onto one platform.

APAAR IDs can be generated through the nearest Common Service Centre (CSC), making it accessible in remote and underserved areas too.

As of June 2026, some 26.3 crore verified APAAR IDs have been generated across India.

Together, ABC and a student’s APAAR ID helps build their education brick by brick, across institutions, and over time.

ABC has already achieved significant scale across the country. It is a key component of India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for education, under the Digital India Programme.

Integration with National Academic Depository (NAD)-DigiLocker allows students secure, anytime access to their own verified academic records.

Additionally, Common Service Centres in remote villages now serve as on-ground points for ABC and APAAR registration, bridging the digital divide.

Students can also register on the ABC portal and receive an APAAR ID linked to Aadhaar and DigiLocker.

Institutions upload credit data directly to the portal, allowing students to accumulate and redeem credits across multiple Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).

Certificates and degrees are issued via the National Academic Depository (NAD), which securely stores all academic awards.

The initiative has already achieved significant scale.

The UGC had mandated that by June 30, all HEIs upload credit data to the ABC portal.

Available data suggest that 1,262 autonomous colleges are registered for ABC, creating 33 lakh APAAR IDs, while more than 100 Institutes of National Importance, like AIIMS, IITs, IIMs, NITs, etc., were registered, with credits and IDs steadily growing.

Central, state, private, and deemed universities together account for more than 4.34 crore of APAAR IDs and educational records.

Schools comprise the largest contributor, with 16.62 crore institutions linked and 71.46 crore records uploaded, while among skill institutions, 96 are registered, generating 1.51 crore IDs and 6.55 crore records.

Therefore, ABC and APAAR are building a trusted digital ecosystem for academic records, making education more flexible, transparent, and accessible for every learner.

By enabling seamless credit mobility, secure record management, and lifelong learning, these initiatives are laying the foundation for a future-ready education system.

As these platforms continue to evolve and scale, emerging technologies offer new opportunities to further strengthen the security and authenticity of digital academic credentials.

In this context, the Bharat Praman Chain provides a promising next step. It is a sovereign blockchain platform for secure, tamper-resistant digital credentials in India.

It is designed to comply with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act and directly operationalises the flexibility principles of NEP 2020.

Bharat Praman Chain aims to provide a unified academic identity infrastructure, which is rare globally. It is designed to facilitate the registration process through the Common Service Center (CSC) and extend access beyond urban higher education institutions.

The initiative is part of India’s broader efforts to enhance governance, planning, and socio-economic development through digital means.

–IANS

jb/khz