NSF opposed the move of “One Nation, One Student ID”
The Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (APAAR), also known as the “One Nation, One Student ID,” was recently announced by the Union education ministry. The Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) has vigorously opposed this move.
It encouraged the Union ministry to make data protection a top priority, address operational issues, and engage in a thorough conversation with all parties, including students and educational institutions, in order to build a more reliable and privacy-conscious method of monitoring students’ academic progress.
In a statement released on Thursday, NSF president Medovi Rhi and assistant general secretary Kenilo Kent stated that the APAAR presents serious issues and concerns, compromises students’ rights and privacy, and places an unneeded burden on educational institutions.
The federation claims that this “controversial initiative” aims to establish the “EduLocker,” or Education Ecosystem Registry.
It stated that in addition to their current Aadhaar ID, each student enrolled in pre-primary through higher education will receive a unique identification number under the APAAR, a proposal from the National Educational Technology Forum (NETF).
“While the government touts this as a solution for seamless tracking of academic progress and achievements, it raises several concerns,” the NSF stated.
It said that APAAR did not effectively address the persistent worries regarding Aadhaar-related data security and privacy breaches.
“At a time when data breaches are all too common, adding another layer of data collection and storage without comprehensive security measures is worrisome,” it stated.
The federation further claimed that adding the APAAR registry would only increase the administrative burdens already being experienced by educational institutions, including the optional Aadhaar verification of students, potentially lowering the quality of instruction.
The NSF felt that parental approval for APAAR enrollment was insufficient to protect kids’ rights and privacy.
While it does not completely rule out the risk of misuse or data breaches, it underlined the government’s promise that the data will only be shared with concerned government departments. It was worried that the proposed centrally managed District Information for Education portal might end up becoming a potential target for cyberattacks, putting the personal data of children in jeopardy.
