In light of numerous instances of APAAR ID exclusion and fresh coercion being reported, we are re-posting our update from this year’s beginning January 2025 with links to resources, explainers, important RTIs links on it

Dear friends, 

2025 begins, and with it, we see an increasing tendency on the part of the state to introduce Aadhaar-coded technology across domains, from education to agriculture, land, and more. We believe it is important for the Rethink community to extend our concerns beyond Aadhaar, to rethinking digital as a whole. So, while we aim to continue the fight against Aadhaar and allied technologies, we also hope to address other tech initiatives. 

In this, the first newsletter of 2025, we focus on the APAAR ID - a ‘voluntary’ ID launched by the Ministry of Education (MoE) to create a database of all students in India, part of the ‘One Nation, One Student ID’ programme. Amidst alarming reports on the decline of school enrollment rates, the introduction and push for APAAR raises concerns about access and exclusions, along with the usual concerns about data safety. Launched in October 2023, APAAR is part of the National Education Policy 2020, and provides a singular lifelong ID for students to store all academic records, credits, and certificates. The ID is also mandatorily linked with the Academic Bank of Credits (ABC) and with DigiLocker. 

The APAAR ID raises many concerns - it has no legal or statutory backing, and has no guidelines, framework for implementation, or other policy documents that clearly lay out the procedures to be followed. The consent form is ambiguously worded, the data safety measures are vague, and the benefits are unclear. The APAAR rollout process is one we have seen many times before with respect to identification systems, where it is supposed to be voluntary, but reports from across the country reveal the manner in which officials, parents, students, and teachers are facing immense pressure to ensure full coverage.

Remember the APAAR ID is not mandatory - we can and must resist. We also share resources at the end of this email that parents/guardians can use for taking action.

We are sharing some relevant links, explainers, and coverage below.

This explainer by the Internet Freedom Foundation unpacks the ID in detail, and analyses concerns relating to data protection, privacy, and consent. 

On the APAAR ID

• FAQs on APAAR by the Ministry of Education. The MoE has also provided resources, including brochures explaining the ID, explaining the application process flow for parents and for schools, and a brochure clearly stating the ID is voluntary, that it cannot be made without an Aadhaar for the guardian and student, and the data security protocols (unclear and contradictory!)

• APAAR ID explainer in The Indian Express.

On its voluntariness

• The MoE’s brochure and the APAAR ID website clearly state that the ID is voluntary. Schools must ask parents to fill out hardcopy consent forms which schools are required to store, along with a digital copy that will be generated and stored in the UDISE+ portal. 

• The parental consent form can be found on this page - and it raises red flags. The form states that parental consent can be withdrawn at any time, but it also states “...any personal data already been processed shall remain unaffected on such withdrawal of consent.” Considering that the APAAR ID is linked with the Aadhaar of the guardian and the child, and shares data with multiple other databases including UDISE+, DigiLocker, the Academic Bank of Credits,  and the Vidya Samiksha Kendra, this provision in the consent form is a cause for concern. 

• News reports show a very different and familiar story - voluntariness exists on paper, while bureaucrats, school administrators, teachers, and parents face enrollment deadlines, increasing pressure, and even threats of pay cuts for teachers. [Odisha; Mumbai; Ahmedabad; Andhra Pradesh; Punjab; Ludhiana]

On access 

• While the MoE has emphasised that the APAAR ID is voluntary, and does not preclude access to any government programmes, scholarships, internships, or any other schemes, parent groups have expressed concern that refusing consent could mean their child will lose out on advantages. 

• Aadhaar of the student and one guardian is mandatory for generating an APAAR ID. First, this makes APAAR inaccessible for all students who do not have an Aadhaar card; second, this violates the spirit of the SC judgement stating that Aadhaar cannot be made mandatory for access to any scheme or benefit. 

• The APAAR ID application is only processed and approved after Aadhaar authentication is conducted. This is causing widespread fear and confusion, because in multiple cases student names are spelt differently in their Aadhaar and their birth certificates, and other such demographic details mismatches are also common. 

• Making IDs legally voluntary, but for all purposes making access to entitlements and benefits contingent on the ID, and thereby making it mandatory in practice was seen widely in the case of Aadhaar; when access to PDS entitlements, MGNREGA work, BPL pensions, farmer schemes, and innumerable other initiatives was predicated on the possession of an Aadhaar card.

On data security

• In the context of previous student data leaks, concerns about data privacy are prevalent amongst parents/guardians. 

• The statement by IFF and this blog by SFLC.in lay out the data concerns more thoroughly.

Action points

This RTI reply by the MoE states clearly that APAAR ID is not mandatory.  We also share two template letters (here and this one drafted by IFF) that guardians can use to write to schools about their concerns and refusal to consent to the creation of APAAR for their wards. The APAAR ID is still in the stage of its rollout, and we urge all of you to share these resources with your friends/family who have children facing pressure to enroll in APAAR from their educational institutions. 

Please also write to us with your experience of the ID enrollment process, and your experience in refusing it. Sharing our stories and resources with each other strengthens our collective fight.