EC plans to expand NID data with madrasa, higher degrees

The Election Commission (EC) of Bangladesh is preparing to introduce significant revisions to the education section of the National Identity (NID) registration system, aiming to allow citizens to record detailed academic and professional qualifications, including madrasa education and advanced university degrees.

Officials from the EC’s NID wing said that under the current system, applicants can only select broad categories such as secondary, higher secondary, bachelor’s or master’s level education. The proposed update will introduce more specific options, enabling individuals to accurately reflect both religious and formal academic qualifications.

According to the proposal, madrasa education levels such as Dakhil, Alim, Fazil, Kamil and Dawrae Hadith will be included as separate categories in the database. At the same time, advanced academic qualifications including BSc (Engineering), MBBS, MS/MD, MPhil and PhD will also be added.

Director (Operations) of the NID wing of the EC Md Saiful Islam said the initiative is intended to ensure that citizens’ educational and professional identities are properly represented in official records.

He noted that many professionals, such as doctors or engineers, are currently listed only under broad categories like government service or general employment, which does not clearly reflect their qualifications. Under the new system, such professional distinctions would be more visible within the database.

However, he clarified that the degree information will not appear on the physical NID card. Instead, it will be stored as supplementary data linked to the individual’s professional profile.

Officials said the proposal is still at a preliminary stage and will require legal and regulatory approval before implementation. Once approved, necessary system upgrades will be carried out.

An EC official said the change could also help citizens avoid complications abroad, where visa and documentation requirements often demand precise educational details that are not currently reflected in the NID system.