The teachers’ body state president Vikramdev Singh, general secretary Mahinder Kauriyanwali and finance secretary Ashwani Awasthi said as per the Board’s instructions, students born in Punjab must provide a “digitalised form” of their birth certificates issued through service centres, with automatic online verification.

However, for the students born outside Punjab, certificates will be verified by school heads at their own level before entry into the portal.

Calling the provision discriminatory, the leaders of teachers’ front said, “Imposing the condition of a digital birth certificate only on Punjab residents is unjustified. It will render previously issued manual birth certificates ineffective and force parents to run from pillar to post at service centres for digitisation.”

They also said under the Right to Education (RTE) framework, schools are allowed to admit students on the basis of alternative documents if birth proof is unavailable.

“Making digital birth certificates mandatory contradicts this flexibility and will create avoidable difficulties for school heads and parents,”they said.

The teachers’ body also questioned the need to seek digital birth certificates from students already registered with the Board in Class VIII when they move to higher classes. “This requirement is completely unwarranted.”

The Democratic Teachers’ Front demanded that the PSEB continue with the existing system, allowing school heads to verify documents and record date of birth accordingly. They demanded the board to withdraw what it called the “unjustified condition” of mandatory digital birth certificates.