The Union Education Ministry is set to introduce an 11-digit Unique Identification Number, known as the 'Permanent Education Number' (PEN), starting from the current academic year. This initiative aims to identify every student through the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) portal, as outlined in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The West Bengal School Education department will make the use of PEN compulsory from the 2024-25 academic year.
The implementation of PEN will greatly simplify the process of transferring students between schools, a process often complicated, particularly at the pre-primary, primary, and upper primary levels. Many schools currently require certificates, caste, and birth records during student transitions. Parents often face challenges in procuring these documents, leading to significant delays. To address this, the education department plans to form a special team to ensure smooth student transfers.
Furthermore, the state's education portal, Banglar Shiksha already uses a system of unique IDs for students in vocational undergraduate, anganwadi, and engineering courses. If the centre's PEN is integrated with the Banglar Shiksha portal, it will enable schools and teachers in the state to seamlessly access student information.
Until now, identifying students who moved outside West Bengal through the Banglar Shiksha portal was challenging. The introduction of PEN will resolve this issue, allowing for easy identification and record access nationwide. Efforts to link PEN with the Banglar Shiksha portal have already commenced.