11-Digit UDISE+ School Id is No More Shared with Data Users
By Arun C Mehta, Formerly Professor of EMIS @ NIEPA, New Delhi
(This note has been prepared from the data-users & researchers point of view)
The UDISE+ 11-Digit School Id
One of the most important features of UDISE since its inception is the allotment of an 11-digit Identification Code to every school covered under it which was said to be unique and was envisaged that the same will neither be replaced nor changed nor the same code will be allotted to another school. In other terms, it was envisaged that each school will have a Unique 11-digit Identification CODE: 2 digits each for States, Districts & Blocks, 3 digits for Village/Wards, and 2 digits for School Sequence which was strictly been followed over a period of time. However, the said 11-digit school ID is no more unique to the data users as the same is no more being shared; instead, they are being provided with a pseudo code and school name which is specified in the Data Sharing Policy of the Department of School Education & Literacy released by the Ministry of Education in September 2020 as described below.
Meaning 9f 11-digit School UDISE Unique Code
Actual Vs Pseudo Code & School Name
“Department of School Education & Literacy may, at its discretion, decide to openly publish any data which it feels is required in the interest of transparency or public good. An example of this from the UDISE+ is given at Annexure D (i): Sample School Report Card (Urban) and D (ii): Sample School Report Card (Rural) which shows the school-wise data items which would be available for all users. This will neither reveal UDISE+ code nor school name, but shall carry a pseudo code for each school instead of UDISE+ Code. All data items available in this will be available in bulk form for use as non-sensitive data.” [Source [Data Sharing Policy for School Education and Literacy, Version 1.1, September 2020].
UDISE+ Data Sharing Policy: A Guide to Sharing Education Data in India 2023
It may further be observed that even the pseudo ID is not unique as during the next year’s UDISE+ data collection, the school may be allotted another pseudo-Id. Not sharing unique IDs with researchers may have far-reaching implications and would have an adverse impact on research studies, especially the longitudinal studies being undertaken based on the UDISE data. The Data Sharing Policy of the Ministry of Education has not provided the logic for not sharing/hiding the school Ids with the users and its benefit and impact on the quality and consistency of UDISE+ Data, if any. However, the Unique Id is still attached to the same school and being maintained in the UDISE+ database but due to unknown reasons, it is no more being shared with the data users. Not sharing the school IDs with the data users without proper justification seems illogical. Had the decision to hide school ID was taken in consultation with the Data Users and EMIS Experts or the decision to hide the ID with the researchers has been taken by a few individuals? No information in this regard is available in the public domain.
What is the Justification? It is illogical
Many a time, a few indicators such as grade to grade drop out and promotion rates as well as transition and retention rate, etc. are required to be computed based on the common schools. Common schools are the schools which are covered in a year as well as in the previous year. Drop-out rates etc if are not based on common schools may generate an underestimate of the same; unless computed based on the common schools may not be treated as presenting the true picture of retaining capacity of the system; there are a few other such crucial indicators which needs to be generated based on the common schools given which the Ministry of Education must relook into its Data Sharing Policy and may like to provide the user school-specific data with the actual 11-digit Identification Code of each school, not the pseudo ID and dummy name of the school. In addition, the Ministry may also furnish benefits of hiding the school IDs with the data users, if any.
For more details on School Ids, a historical perspective is documented separately.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on 11-Digit UDISE Code
Q: What is UDISE+?
A: UDISE+ is a system for collecting and managing school education data in India. It originally assigned unique 11-digit identification codes to schools.
Q: What change has occurred with the UDISE+ school ID system?
A: The 11-digit UDISE+ school ID is no longer shared with data users. Instead, a pseudo code and school name are provided.
Q: Why was this change implemented?
A: The document doesn’t provide a clear reason. It states that the justification for this change is not available in the public domain.
Q: How does the pseudo code system work?
A: Schools are given a pseudo code instead of their actual UDISE+ code. This pseudo code may change from year to year.
Q: What is the Data Sharing Policy for School Education and Literacy?
A: It’s a policy released by the Ministry of Education in September 2020 that outlines how school data is shared, including the use of pseudo codes instead of actual UDISE+ codes.
Q: How does this change affect educational research?
A: It may have significant implications, particularly for longitudinal studies that rely on consistent school identification over time.
Q: Are the original 11-digit IDs still being used internally?
A: Yes, the unique IDs are still attached to schools and maintained in the UDISE+ database, but they are not shared with external data users.
Q: What concerns does this raise for data analysis?
A: It complicates the calculation of certain indicators like grade-to-grade dropout rates, promotion rates, and transition rates, which require data from common schools across years.
Q: Can researchers still access school-specific data?
A: Yes, but with pseudo IDs and dummy names instead of actual school identifiers.
Q: What does the author suggest as a solution?
A: The author suggests that the Ministry of Education should reconsider its Data Sharing Policy and provide users with school-specific data using the actual 11-digit Identification Code.
