Patna: The Bihar government has made Aadhaar cards mandatory for school children as a prerequisite for generating their Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (APAAR ID), a unique digital academic record. The directive applies to all students enrolled from Class 1 to Class 12 in both government and private schools.
According to the state’s Education Department, the move is intended to streamline academic data under the National Education Policy, but it has triggered implementation challenges due to delays in Aadhaar card issuance. Official figures reveal that out of the 1.023 million children enrolled across the district, only 506,000 have had their APAAR IDs generated to date. Aadhaar registration has similarly lagged behind targets, with just 320,000 children receiving their cards over the past three months.
Technical Hurdles Stall Aadhaar Registration
The Education Department had originally aimed to issue Aadhaar cards to 4,40,000 students between January and March this year. However, the suspension of in-school Aadhaar enrolment due to technical issues has slowed progress significantly. In response, many parents and students have turned to independent Aadhaar centres in the district. Officials suggest these in-school facilities may reopen in July to help meet registration targets.
Data from the department about monthly enrolment goals:
•January: 101,887 Aadhaar cards issued, against a target of 139,887
•February: 107,284 issued, target 147,284
•March: 111,378 issued, target 151,378
