Daijiworld Media Network – Panaji

Panaji, Feb 26: Goa has successfully registered 70 per cent of school students for APAAR (Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry) IDs, a digital initiative aimed at tracking students’ academic progress from nursery to Class 12.

Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has made APAAR IDs mandatory for students from the upcoming academic year.

The APAAR ID integrates a student’s academic bank of credits (ABC), digitally storing all educational achievements, certificates, and credentials—including skilling, sports, and social work credits—verified by the awarding agencies.

Speaking to PTI, Goa Director of Education Shailesh Zingade said every student from nursery onwards will be assigned an APAAR ID.

“There are 2,91,931 students from nursery to Class 12 in Goa. While the Union government has not made APAAR IDs mandatory, we have implemented them as a requirement for students to avail of midday meals and other facilities,” he said.

Zingade emphasized that parents and teachers were briefed about the benefits before rolling out the initiative.

Giving an example, he stated that if a student misplaces a certificate, they can retrieve it anytime via DigiLocker. The state is also set to transition to a credit-based system under the New Education Policy (NEP) through the academic bank of credits, which digitally stores student achievements.

So far, 116 schools in Goa have achieved 100 per cent APAAR registration.

“I sincerely thank school heads for their support in this initiative. Initially, the registration rate was just 30 per cent, but through interventions by academicians Sindhu Prabhudessai and Melvin D’Costa, it has now increased to nearly 70 per cent," Zingade added.

Goa currently ranks 12th in the country in APAAR registrations and aims to reach the 11th position soon.

Schools across the state have welcomed the move.

Madhav Krishna Kharvy, headmaster of Shri Dayanand Arya High School in Neura, Dongrim (North Goa), called APAAR a groundbreaking step towards a more efficient and accessible digital education system in India.

“It is a visionary move that will benefit students throughout their academic journey. The APAAR ID serves as a lifelong academic passport, securely storing all educational records and achievements,” he said.