APAAR ID and Aadhaar Number Mandatory for Student Registration New Directives for Academic Session 2026-27
BHAGALPUR/BIHAR: In a major shift within Bihar's academic landscape, the state government and the Department of Education have made the 'APAAR ID' and Aadhaar number mandatory for student registration starting from the 2026-27 academic session. This step has been taken under the 'One Nation, One Student ID' initiative, which aims to make students' academic records fully digital and integrated.
What is APAAR ID and its Significance?
'APAAR' (Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry) is a digital identity card. Just as an Aadhaar number acts as a citizen's identity, the APAAR ID will serve as a student’s lifelong academic identity.
Digital Integration: Through this, all records of a student from childhood through higher education—such as examination results, co-curricular achievements, and other certificates—will remain secure in one place (DigiLocker).
Lifelong Identity: This ID will remain the same throughout a student's entire career, making document verification significantly easier for future college admissions or job applications.
Directives for Bhagalpur and Across the State
The Bihar Education Project Council has issued clear instructions to all government and private schools, including those in Bhagalpur, to ensure that 100% of students' APAAR IDs are generated by June 30, 2026. To accelerate this process, instructions have also been issued to organize mega camps every Saturday.
The District Education Department has further clarified that for board examination registration for classes 9 to 12, it is now mandatory to enter the APAAR ID and the school's U-DISE+ code. It will not be possible to complete the registration process without these. Additionally, higher education institutions like IGNOU have also made the APAAR ID mandatory for entry into their online courses.
Clear Guidelines Regarding Enrollment
Addressing concerns that children were previously unable to enroll due to the lack of an ID, the Bhagalpur Education Department has taken a firm stance. The department has clarified that no child will be denied enrollment solely due to the lack of a 'Permanent Education Number' (PEN) or APAAR ID. If, for technical reasons, an ID cannot be generated, the process will be simplified to ensure that the Right to Education is not hindered.
Key Points for Parents
Aadhaar-Linking Mandatory: The student's Aadhaar number is mandatory for the Aadhaar-based verification process to create an APAAR ID.
Data Matching: The spelling of the student's name and their date of birth (DOB) must match their Aadhaar card. Any discrepancies should be corrected in a timely manner.
Consent Form: Parents are required to provide their consent for this entire process so that the child's data can be securely linked with DigiLocker.
A Step Toward a Digital Future
The primary objective of this initiative by the Ministry of Education is to bring transparency to the education system and to identify 'ghost students.' This will not only improve data management but also make it easier to deliver the benefits of government schemes directly to eligible students.
The administration has advised all educational institutions to contact the District Education Office (DEO) or their nodal officer immediately for any issues encountered during the Aadhaar-linking process. Efforts are being made to ensure that no student's education is disrupted during the academic session.
