Opinion Digital degrees

It is estimated that about 50 million academic documents get issued in India every year. All these documents,past and present,need to be produced — in original or in a true copy form — at the time of seeking admission or employment. So,several copies are required,and need to be authenticated. The “attested-true-copy” culture prospers at the cost of student suffering. The situation is so serious that certificates are fabricated. In short,an electronic depository will not only save students from running around,it will also prevent fraud.

What is an electronic depository of academic documents and how will it work? Let us consider a typical academic institution. At the end of the academic session,this institution has to declare the results,For all candidates,the institution has to print and distribute marksheets. For successful candidates,the institution has to issue passing certificates. All original documents can be lodged or uploaded in a registered electronic depository. Such a depository is a large database in which the data cannot be tampered with. The data has to be authenticated by the academic institution; it may require encryption,and should stored with multiple copies. This will ensure that loss of any one copy will not affect the overall security of the data. It is only with appropriate access that the academic institution will be able to upload the data.

Once the data is uploaded,it will then be possible to provide information or authentication through a network of data service centres. Obviously,these services will be at a nominal cost. The universities abroad,the prospective employers in India or overseas and even prospective “in-laws” can verify academic records of the candidates directly from the depository via these data service centres. The candidates must permit the depository to make such information available to a third party. The third party will be allowed access only after verifying the temporary access code. All this will avoid any paper transaction.

The idea was enthusiastically supported by Union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal. A task force got formed. This task force has has found it feasable to establish an electronic depository and the associated infrastructure for academic documents. Technically,when no paper document is issued,the information is considered to be dematerialised. However,when a paper document is issued and simultaneously an electronic version is maintained then the information is considered to be immobilised. In the academic world,the documents will be immobilised and not strictly dematerialised. All academic institutions will work both as data uploaders and data service providers. For uploading information,the academic institutions may charge a nominal one-time fee from the candidates.

In order to usher in the era of dematerialisation,the government will have to pass appropriate legislation. All academic institutions will have to take the appropriate decisions in their academic bodies and governing councils. The selection of a registered depository will have to be done carefully. The technology,fortunately,is available,though dry runs will be needed. A complete roll-out may need phase-wise implementation. Some Central institutions can take up the work first,followed by other universities,boards and institutions.

What is wonderful to note is that India will be the first nation to have such an electronic depository of academic records. The concept is not limited to academic records. Individual universities can create an electronic depository of student records and other information. Now,that will be real e-academic-governance!

The writer is director,IIT-Kanpur. The views expressed are personal