Aadhaar Update Chaos May Render 10 Lakh Students ‘Out of School’ Despite Attendance — Teachers’ Union Demands Special Campaign

Nashik:
A massive data mismatch in the UDISE+ (Unified District Information System for Education) portal has triggered concern across Maharashtra’s education system. According to the latest figures, out of 2.14 crore registered students, nearly 5.78 lakh Aadhaar cards have been declared invalid, putting these students at risk of being marked as out of school despite being regular attendees.

Additionally, 4.98 lakh students were already categorized as out of school due to the absence of Aadhaar numbers, taking the total to a staggering 10.77 lakh children who could lose their enrollment status. The situation has sparked a sharp reaction from the Adhyapak Bharati, a statewide teachers’ association, which has demanded an immediate special Aadhaar update campaign to prevent educational injustice.

The UDISE+ portal, which determines school recognition and teacher strength based on student data, has made Aadhaar linkage mandatory. However, this has led to a conflict with the Right to Education (RTE) Act, as students without valid Aadhaar details are technically excluded from official school counts.

Out of the 2.14 crore students enrolled, 2.09 crore have submitted Aadhaar details. Among these, 2.03 crore cards have been verified as valid, while 5.78 lakh were found invalid and 69,688 are still under verification. The remaining 4.98 lakh students lack Aadhaar altogether.

“This rule is creating an artificial drop in enrollment numbers, endangering many rural and urban schools,” said Sharad Shejwal, founder of Adhyapak Bharati. He added that this situation could also affect school recognition and teacher appointments linked to student counts.

In a joint memorandum to the Maharashtra School Education Department and the Education Minister, representatives including Prof. Sharad Shejwal, S.N. Wagh, Subhash Waghere, Prof. Vinod Pansare, Prof. Kamini Kevat, Vanita Sarode-Pagare, Prof. Prabhakar Masul, V.D. Sonawane, Amin Sheikh, and Santosh Burange-Patil have appealed to the government to launch a separate Aadhaar update drive to safeguard students’ rights under RTE.