Thiruvananthapuram: The APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University has become part of the ‘National Academic Depository’ (NAD) of the Union government which enables it to issue digital secure certificates to all its students.
All the engineering colleges and other technical educational institutions in the state are affiliated to the KTU. The university has asked the students to register on NAD so that they can use their digital certificates. All M.Tech 2015-17 batch students should complete the registration process within two weeks.
The registration link from cdslindia.com has been sent to the registered email address of the students as per the KTU portal. This was to complete the registration process so that students can start accessing their degree certificates through NAD, sources said.
The NAD meant for digitally holding certificates from 10th standard onwards in a central database had received Cabinet approval in October 2016.
It is a 24X7 online store house of all academic awards, certificates, diplomas, degrees and marksheets duly digitised and lodged by academic institutions, boards and eligibility assessment bodies. It not only ensures easy access to and retrieval of an academic award but also validates and guarantees its authenticity and safe storage.
The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) is planning to make it mandatory for educational institutions to enable digital storage of educational certificates, degrees and awards. The MHRD, in a circular, has asked all institutions to tie-up with the NAD.
A digital certificate is more secure and easier to access than a physical one. Since it also has proper authentication from the institution, it is easier for prospective employers to verify the details of candidates. For institutions, this is an effective deterrence to fake and forged paper certificates. Sources said that less than 10 percent of the total number of educational institutions in the state have provided digital educational certificates.
