The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has asked its affiliated schools to set up Aadhaar enrolment centres 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 biometric data of residents directly or through enrolment agencies.
However, the CBSE has not mandated the schools to set up the centres 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 enrolment centres to facilitate their bonafide students, teachers, staff and their family members to to enrol 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 enrolment, CBSE will pay them Rs 30 for every enrolment.
The schools will also be required to adhere to all code of conducts applicable to other enrolment centres.
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 enrol for it within a dedicated span of time.
