UIDAI slams schools for seeking Aadhaar cards for admissions

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has asserted that schools cannot make the 12-digit biometric identifier a pre-condition for student admission. It has warned that those schools insisting on Aadhaar will be doing so against the recent order of the Supreme Court.

The warning came at a time when admissions to nursery and entry-level classes have just begun. There were reports that certain school in the National capital were insisting that parents produce Aadhaar cards as one of the documents required for admission.

"This is not right. This is not as per the provisions of law...school admission and other facility to children cannot be made conditional to production of Aadhaar," said UIDAI CEO Ajay Bhushan Pandey. The authority also asked the school authorities and their managements to ensure that no child is denied admission for lack of Aadhaar. "In fact, schools should admit children without Aadhaar and ensure that children are given Aadhaar once they are in schools by arranging special camps for them," he said.

Asked what action schools might face if they continued to insist on Aadhaar, Pandey said that it will clearly be seen as "contempt of court".

In September this year, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of Aadhaar but clipped the scope of the biometric identity project, ruling it was not mandatory for bank accounts, mobile connections or school admissions.

‘Hold Camps’

“In fact, schools should admit children without Aadhaar and ensure that children are given Aadhaar once they are in schools by arranging special camps for them,” UIDAI CEO said.