Indian Higher Education system is a large and growing system with approximately 55 school boards, 359 state universities, 123 deemed universities, 47 central universities and 260 private universities. Apart from these, there are 107 other institutions such as IISc/IITs/IIMs/NITs/IISERs/IIITs/NITIE and 12 other centrally funded institutions. These institutions issue academic awards to students including degrees, diplomas, and certificates along with mark sheets and evaluation reports.
NATIONAL ACADEMIC DEPOSITORY (NAD)
The National Academic Depository aims at ensuring a credible and convenient mechanism for online lodging, verification, and authentication of the academic awards issued by various educational institutions.
The National Academic Depository (www.nad.gov.in) comprises of two interoperable digital depositories viz. CDSL Ventures Limited (CVL) and NSDL Database Management Limited (NDML). These digital depositories have ensured hardware, network facilities, and software of prescribed quality for smooth and secured operationalisation of NAD.
The vision of the National Academic Depository (NAD) is born out of an initiative to provide an online storehouse of all academic awards. National Academic Depository (NAD) is a 24X7 online storehouse of all academic awards viz. certificates, diplomas, degrees, mark-sheets, etc duly digitized and lodged by academic institutions/boards/eligibility assessment bodies. NAD not only ensures easy access to and retrieval of an academic award but also validates and guarantees its authenticity and safe storage.
Benefits of NAD
There are the following benefits for academic institutions, for students and for verification, as-
For academic institutions:
• Permanent and safe record of keeping all academic awards issued.
• No need for issuing duplicate academic awards, students can get it from NAD.
• Effective deterrence to fake and forged paper certificates.
• All academic awards verification needs can be addressed by NAD.
• Efficient, effective and transparent administration.
For students:
Immediate availability of academic awards upon upload by academic institutions.
Online, permanent record of academic awards.
No risk of losing, spoiling, damaging the academic awards.
Anytime, anywhere, and convenient access to academic awards.
For verification Users (Employer Companies, Banks etc.)
• Online, quick, and reliable verification of academic awards (with prior consent of the student concerned)
• Access to authenticated copy of academic awards
• No risk of fake and forged Certificates.
• Reduction in cost, time, and efforts for verification.
Roles & Responsibilities of Academic Institutions-
• Enter into SLA with either of the two depositories.
• Provide certificate templates, data masters etc to the depositories.
• Provide data of academic awards for lodging the academic awards on NAD.
• Is responsible for accuracy of data of academic awards.
• Identify staff to be trained in NAD system.
• Edge Awards – Upload awards and seed with Aadhaar / NAD ID.
• Verified & digitally signed data in prescribed formats – maker / checker.
• Data format with certificate template / digitally signed images with data.
• Include student identity with Aadhaar / Unique NAD ID.
• Update Aadhaar / Unique NAD ID in a certificate record.
Roles & Responsibilities of Students
• Register on either of the depositories by providing Aadhar details.
• Avails Unique NAD ID in case of non-availability of Aadhar.
• Submits Aadhaar / Unique NAD ID to AI for verification and seeding into award data.
• Views & accesses all awards online at any time in single account.
• Student can View / download digitally signed awards.
• Request printed copy of the certificate.
• Approve / reject request of any verifier for access to his / her certificate.
• Send copy of certificate to any verifier.