New Delhi: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has asked its affiliated schools to set up Aadhaar enrollment centers and encourage students who do not have the identification number to be enrolled.
The Board has partnered with Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) as registrar to collect demographic and bio-metric data of residents directly or through enrollment agencies.
However, the CBSE has not mandated the schools to set up the centers and asked the schools volunteering to do so to sign an MoU with either the Board or UIDAI.
The Board, as in February 2017, has 18,546 schools in India and 210 schools in 25 foreign countries.
"Schools shall set up enrollment centers to facilitate their bonafide students, teachers, staff and their family members to to enroll for Aadhar and make any updation or corrections," it said in a communication to schools.
It has also asked the schools to procure equipment for the purpose as per the UIDAI check list.
"Equipment such as computer, printer, biometric devices and other such things will have to be procured by the school themselves and should be as per the UIDAI specifications," it added.
While the schools will not be charging any fees for the Aadhaar enrollment, CBSE will pay them Rs 30 for every enrollment.
The schools will also be required to adhere to all code of conducts applicable to other enrollment centers.
The move comes against the backdrop of the Central government mandating Aadhaar card for several benefits in educational institutions, including mid-day meal schemes and several fellowships.
While the government has claimed that nobody will be denied benefits for want of Aadhaar, students have been encouraged to enroll for it within a dedicated span of time.
