The Centre on Tuesday launched the One Nation, One Student (ONOS) ID aiming to provide a 12-digit unique number similar to Aadhaar to students, even as some experts feared that the initiative might become a potential source of conflict and confusion.

The education ministry claimed that the facility would help students store academic degrees digitally and easily migrate to another institution. Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the ONOS IDs would give global exposure to students as employers and institutions would be able to verify their academic details.

Rajeev Kumar, a professor at the School of Computer and System Sciences at JNU, said students were already using Aadhaar for various purposes.

“The ABC (Academic Bank of Credit) facility already existed. Students, based on their bona fide details, were able to open accounts in ABC. The students are using Aadhaar for various purposes in institutions. The ONOS will be another ID. I feel it may create more confusion and conflict,” he said.