In a pioneering move, the Telangana Education Department is set to revolutionize the way students’ educational records are managed. Commencing from the academic year 2023-24, students in the state will receive a unique Permanent Education Number (PEN) that will stay with them throughout their academic journey.
This 11-digit PEN will act as a distinctive identifier, following students from their pre-primary years through primary, secondary, senior secondary, graduate, post-graduate, research, and up-skilling phases. It will contain crucial information, including the student’s name, date of birth, gender, and academic history.
One of the key advantages of the PEN system is its ability to facilitate the tracking of students even if they relocate to different schools within Telangana or elsewhere in the country. Beyond simplifying the admission process, education officials anticipate that this number will also prove invaluable for scholarship applications, examination registrations, and employment records.
A senior official emphasized that the PEN is a distinct system from the Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (APAAR). It is designed to allow authorities to monitor students, irrespective of their place of study in the country. Furthermore, it will aid in identifying dropouts and re-enrolling them in schools.
To kickstart this initiative, the PEN will be printed on Secondary School Certificate (SSC) hall tickets and memos for students under all educational managements in the state starting from the academic year 2023-24. This unique number will be in addition to the existing hall ticket number on these documents.
Education department Secretary Vakati Karuna recently issued an order permitting the School Education department to include the PEN on SSC hall tickets and memos, marking the official launch of this transformative system.
In addition to maintaining admission and attendance records, recording the student’s PEN in transfer certificates or record sheets has been made mandatory from pre-primary to Class XII in the current academic year. This step aims to emphasize the importance of comprehensive and updated student information on the UDISE Portal, ensuring that schools have access to accurate data for effective educational management.
