CHENNAI: Amid widespread criticism over the proposed redesign of school identity cards, the State government on Saturday clarified that caste or community details will not be displayed on student IDs.

In a statement, the government said the Revenue and School Education departments would coordinate only for the issuance and verification of community certificates. However, the design and contents of school identity cards would be decided solely by the School Education Department.

The government said discussions were still underway regarding the format and security features of the new IDs.

“Emphasis is on protecting students' rights and ensuring security features. Only basic details such as the student's name, class, school name and blood group will be displayed on the ID. Any additional information, if required, will be stored in a QR code," the statement said.

Revenue and Disaster Management Minister KA Sengottaiyan on Friday had stated that all key information, including the student’s caste certificate details, address, etc., will be integrated into the ID.