Aadhaar Not Mandatory for Admission in Odisha Schools

Bhubaneswar: Students can get admission to schools in Odisha without furnishing their Aadhaar cards. School and Mass Education Department Secretary Aswathy S wrote a letter to all District Education Officers (DEOs) stating that Aadhar cards should not be mandatory for admission to schools.

“It was instructed earlier that the admission of students should be hassle-free and smooth and in no case, parents shall face inconvenience during the admission of their children. In this regard, it is brought to the notice of the undersigned that in some schools, HMs are insisting the parents to submit Aadhaar cards for admission of children in different classes. It is clarified that the children must be allowed to take admission in schools with or without an Aadhaar card,” the secretary said in the letter.

It is also instructed that after admission, students may be facilitated for obtaining Aadhaar cards by coordinating with various offices of the district and Aadhaar is not a mandatory prerequisite for admission,” the official wrote.

The DEOs were directed to communicate and inform all the HMs of schools about this decision for the smooth admission of students.