The PEN (Permanent Education Number) is the ID that UDISE+ gives each student. The official UDISE+ functionality guide defines it simply as the “Permanent Education Number, generated by the system”. Almost everything that happens to a student’s record (imports, transfers, release requests, tracking and APAAR) is done using the PEN.
PEN at a glance
- Who creates it: the UDISE+ system, when a student’s record is first created. Schools do not choose or apply for it.
- What it identifies: a student. A school is identified by its 11-digit UDISE code.
- How long it lasts: it stays with the student. When they change school, the new school imports the same record using the PEN.
- Why it matters now: the official APAAR site lists a PEN as mandatory for creating a student’s 12-digit APAAR ID.
The three states of a student record
The functionality guide uses three status terms, and the PEN is how you find a student in any of them:
- Active: the profile is mapped to a school.
- Dropbox: the profile is passive and not mapped to any school, for example after the old school marks a transfer and before the new school imports.
- Inactive: the profile is inactive and not mapped to any school.
How schools use the PEN, case by case
Case 1: A student joins from another school that has already released them. The student is in the Dropbox. Go to Import, choose Within State or Outside State, search with the PEN and date of birth, enter the admission date, class and section, and click Import.
Case 2: A student joins, but the old school still shows them as Active. Raise a release request under Student Release Request Management: enter the PEN and date of birth, add the admission details and generate the request. When the old school approves it, the student moves to the Dropbox and you import them as in Case 1. If a request within the same state is rejected, you can escalate it once to the block, district or state admin.
Case 3: A student leaves your school. Use Transfer Module/Mark Dropout, search by PEN, fill in the details and update. The student moves to the Dropbox so their next school can import them.
Case 4: A completely new student with no record. Use Add Student. The system generates a new PEN. Only do this if the child has never had a UDISE+ record.
Case 5: You need to find a student. Global Student Search finds students by PEN, name, Aadhaar number or date of birth, and Track Student follows a student directly by PEN.
Avoiding duplicate PENs
Duplicates happen when a school uses Add Student for a child who already has a record from an earlier school. Before adding a student, search for them with Global Student Search, using the date of birth together with the name or Aadhaar number. If a record exists, import it or raise a release request instead.
For parents: how to get your child’s PEN
Ask the school. It can see the PEN in your child’s UDISE+ profile. Websites that offer to “generate” or “check” a PEN for a fee are not official, and you do not need them.
