CBSE-affiliated schools in the UAE will not be required to generate APAAR IDs, school leaders have confirmed, ending weeks of confusion among students and parents.
In a circular sent to principals, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) clarified that “schools situated abroad are exempted from APAAR because of various administrative reasons and laws in these countries.”
APAAR, short for Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry, is a unique student identifier introduced under India’s New Education Policy (NEP) 2020. It links enrolment records across a student’s academic journey from primary to higher education. Earlier this month, CBSE made APAAR IDs mandatory for students in India registering for Grade 10 and 12 board exams.
The process of generating an APAAR ID requires personal details such as name, age, date of birth, gender, photograph and Aadhaar number.
Aadhaar is a 12-digit individual identification number that serves as both proof of identity and proof of address for residents of India. Since Aadhaar is exclusive to Indian residents, overseas schools raised concerns over implementation.
The clarification ensures that students in the UAE’s Indian curriculum schools can proceed with board exam registrations without APAAR IDs and Aadhaar.