THE previous system of allotting a roll number to a student has changed drastically. The modern roll number is email accessible and has become a multi-function wonder that carries a student’s entire data like name, birth date, batch year, date of admission, postal address, phone contact, etc.

This is the one thing that contains a student’s educational identity and everything connected to it. An email-backed roll number allows the student to appear in tests, enrol in courses, submit assignments, etc. Naturally, all of these are important milestones in their academic journey.

With further advances in communications technology, a roll number serves a much wider purpose. As colleges and institutions of higher learning have grown from local to national and in some cases international level, communication has been the game-changer. Be it amongst staff, students, or between staff and students, it has become important to not just have an encrypted identification code such as a roll number, but also to use it as a mode of conveyance and access.

In the email era, the roll number paired with an educational institution’s domain solidifies the notion of personal identity in the context of an organisation. Not only is this unique but it also allows for the development of inter-school and inter-student networks to create an efficient ecosystem.

These days every major educational institution assigns emails to students which consists of their roll number with a domain stating the name of the institute. This direct link between a student and the administration serves as a channel for the provision of newsletters, grades, announcements, and anything regarding the institute.

In the future when former students will recall their alma mater fondly, their memory will also dwell on their institution’s email roll number. It is more probable that former classmates would find it a means of keeping in touch with old friends.

Amna Inayat Khan
Karachi

Published in Dawn, January 19th, 2020