By Sanat Moharana, Mumbai: India is one of the largest education systems in the world where the world’s one-fifth young population lives in India currently. Aadhaar Card, a multi-purpose National Identity Card, has already brought revolutionary changes via Direct Benefits Transfer (DBT) mode in government sponsored- welfare schemes, distribution of scholarships and fellowships in the education sector and financial inclusion derive in the banking sector. National Academic Depository (NAD), the pan India online database of academic certificates, will definitely a good news for all the stakeholders of the education and labour markets.
In October 2016, the Union Cabinet approved that the National Academic Depository (NAD) would be established and operationalised within the next three months and would be rolled out on a pan India basis in 2017-18. NAD is a Digital Depository for school learning certificates, degrees and other academic awards of Higher Education Institutions, on the pattern of a Securities Depository. Here, SkillOutlook presents the key features of the education depository and its impact on various sectors.
SEBI registered security depositories are roped in: To build the huge database platform, the government has assigned NSDL Database Management Limited (NDML) and CDSL Ventures, Limited (CVL) – two of the wholly owned subsidiaries of the Depositories registered under Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) Act, 1992 – to make NAD secure, smooth and easy to handle.
Academic institutions will upload the data: Higher Educational Institutions will upload data digitally into the system and be responsible for the authenticity of data digitally. The role of depositories will ensure the integrity of the data in the NAD. On the other hand, the NAD will register educational institutions, various boards, eligibility assessment bodies, students and other users, verifying entities like banks, employer companies, government agencies and academic institutions.
Will restrict the use of fake certificates: The online system will provide digital or a printed copy of the academic award with security features to the students or other authorized users. The entire process will be carried in a secure path. In case any authorize user, say a HR manager or background verification officer of a company, requests information on the educational credentials of a particular candidate, NAD will verify academic awards online on the same day of request initiated by any authorized user. This will act as win-win opportunities for both recruiter and job seekers.
Students’ right reserved: Any unauthorise user or person cannot access the certificates and educational credentials. As per the procedure, requests for access to academic awards, for example, from potential employers, and academic institutions would be only on the basis of consent of the student.
24X7 Access: All features of NAD will be available online 24X7 to the stakeholders. The academic digital depository will maintain the authenticity, integrity and confidentiality of its database.
Streamline the recruitment process: The recruitment process in the labour markets will become more sophisticated as the academic digital depository is set restrict the fraudulent practices in certificates and mark-sheets and lead to validation of these certificates.
Awareness and Training programmes: The government is planning to organise a series of training workshops , region-wise to bring awareness on NAD among its various stakeholders. It will also train and facilitate academic institutions, boards, eligibility assessment bodies and other stakeholders to efficiently lodge academic awards in the database.
Maintaining academic awards in a digital depository will immensely help educational institutions, students and employers by enabling online access and retrieval. NAD aims at eliminating fraudulent practices such as forging of certificates and mark-sheets and facilitate validation.
