Full form of ABC ID:


ABC ID-Academic Bank of Credits. The name itself says that it will keep the records of a student's higher educational credits from any UGC-recognized institution and those which can be transferred from one institution to another.



The Purpose of ABC ID:



The Academic Bank of Credits has been one of the significant propositions in the Indian education system and finds more vitality under the National Education Policy, NEP 2020. This would grant flexibility and enrich students' entering into higher education. Here's a breakdown of its purpose:



1. Accumulation of Credits: ABC should allow students to accrue academic credit earned from various accredited institutions. These would be kept in a particular virtual individual account, accessible during the learner's education.



2. Flexibility within Education: The student can take credits from different institutions that can then be inter-university transferred. This opens up opportunities within course structuring whereby students can take courses from varied institutions and structure education in the best way that fits their interests and career paths.



3. Interdisciplinary Learning: One can make scope for interdisciplinary learning through ABC. Students will be able to take courses from other disciplines, too. For example, science majors take up some humanities or social sciences courses and accumulate credits for those courses.



4. Promotion of Mobility: The system shall make mobility across institutions within and outside India easy. If a student intends to migrate to any other university or even abroad to take up any course, credits gained by them would be transferable so that their academic movement is maintained.



5. Prior Learning Credit: The ABC also grants prior learning credits, whereby students' experiences may be credited into the program for knowledge or skills that might have been acquired outside of the formal education system.



6. Ease of Re-entry: If a student has to drop out for whatever reason, they will be delicate getting readmitted into the system without losing their credits in case they have already secured some. This makes it easier for people to stop and start their education at a convenient time.



7. Lifelong Learning: Once again, ABC introduces the possibility of lifelong learning, allowing anyone into education at each stage of life to take up more credits towards higher-level qualifications.



8. Standardization: It also seeks to standardize the credit system amongst the HEIs in India regarding acquiring, accumulating, and transferring credits.


In other words, the Academic Bank of Credits would introduce greater flexibility, inclusiveness, and student-centricity in higher education institutions within India.



How to Create an ABC ID?



Here's a checklist that is to be followed for creating your ABC ID:



Step 1: First, the applicant must log in to the official website of DigiLocker. If the candidate is an already registered user, then they can sign in with the option 'Sign In' that appears on the screen. Otherwise, they may click on the 'Sign Up' option and create a new account to sign in.


Step 2: Log in using your username and password or the Aadhaar number with your mobile number.


Step 3: Tap the 'Search Document' option once you log in.


Step 4: Under the option 'Education and Learning,' click on 'Academic Bank of Credits.'


Step 5: Click the 'APAAR/ABC ID Card' option.


Step 6: The information to be provided in the given space includes name, sex, date of birth, year of admission, institute's name, Value of Identity, etc. Fill in all the information, select the consent box in the given space, and click on a button called 'Get Document.'


Importance of ABC ID:


Among the few innovative initiatives introduced in the Indian education system to bring flexibility and mobility to students, the "Academic Bank of Credits" has emerged as paramount. It looks at being central to the future of higher education, whereby the educational trajectories for students shall be adapted to their interests and requirements. Here is why ABC is important:



1. Flexibility in Education

Facility ABC enables students to earn bank and transfer credit in academic learning across courses, institutions, and programs. The above flexibility would facilitate students to choose diverse subjects and enjoy a gap in their education without losing their accrued credits.



2. Encourages Interdisciplinary Learning

The ABC allows for inter-disciplinary learning with its learning outcomes and assessment modes. Students compile credits from various institutions and disciplines towards the degree to be awarded. Credits taken from science, humanities and the arts, among others, can be combined into a more rounded education.



3. Allows for Lifelong Learning

The ABC system will allow people to learn lifelong since their education has been flexible and may be continued at any stage. The credits will be banked and redeemed later for a degree or certification. As such, education will be more flexible and user-friendly for professionals or people with other commitments.



4. Facilitates Mobility Across Institutions

This, therefore, allows for easy credit transfer into and from other institutions as students move to another city or may want to pursue a study program at another university. Therefore, this cuts the barriers to education and makes it easy to pursue students' academic goals without being restricted to one institution.



5. Allows Multiple Entry and Exit Points

ABC framework goes hand in glove with NEP 2020, which suggested multiple entry and exit during education. Students shall be issued certificates, diplomas, or degrees as relevant against credit points they earned. Leaving the education system with its re-entry when necessary or beneficial will be provided to the students.



6. Recognition of Prior Learning

The ABC system makes available the facility for the credits earned from prior learning or work experience by crediting students for knowledge and skills gained outside of the formal system.



7. Transparency and Accountability

Hence, the ABC system will automate the transparent recording of academic credit; the credits are recorded and maintained centrally in one digital depository. In other words, under the credit system, it is duly recognized with the student's academic credit.



8. Global Standards

This shapes higher education up to an international standard in India. Whenever students from India want to go abroad for further studies or career purposes, the record will be transparent and standardized concerning their academic performances.



This would mark a leap to give education a new student-centric, adaptive, and inclusive dimension. It shall also ensure that every learner is compelled to pass through a specified way of studying, without which one cannot get further promoted or graduate to the next level.



Conclusion:

The Academic Bank of Credit is akin to a new answer to the ever-changing face of the Indian education system, which will bestow more flexibility, mobility, and individualization on students' journeys. Hence, ABC works out customized and modular modes of learning whereby students can accumulate and transfer their credits across various programs and institutions. It will foster lifelong learning and acquisition of skills, being in tune with the vision of NEP 2020 on reforming the architecture of education in a more inclusive and student-centric manner. Above all, ABC is a giant step toward making Indian higher education modern and democratic, apt for adaptation toward the diverse needs and aspirations of