As every progress of mankind is almost entirely driven by the word ‘digital’ and as organizations have to constantly keep up with the advancing technology, CMU is preparing to become a digital university. In this new academic year of 2022, the new student registration is going to be done using e-KYC, a technology known as Electronic-Know-Your-Customer and it will be used via the National Digital ID (NDID) under the regulatory sandbox of the Bank of Thailand (BOT). It is the first and only platform that has passed the innovation testing by the Electronic Transactions Development Agency (EDTA) and its service is regulated by the Electronic Transactions Act.
CMU is the first educational institution to incorporate the NDID into its operation. The Smart Campus Management Centre in partnership with the Registration Office issues electronic student IDs and uses the NDID in the new student registration for digital identity proofing and authentication. Using the concept of ‘Data Security and Privacy by Design’, the service is highly secure, for encryption is required to transmit data and the database is not centralized. The data remains with the agency that is responsible for the data and the service. This decentralized system was designed using the blockchain technology that links data from Thailand’s 10 major banks: Bangkok Bank, Krungthai Bank, Bank of Ayudhya, Kasikornbank, Kiatnakin Phatra Bank, TMBThanachart Bank, Siam Commercial Bank, CIMB, Government Savings Bank and Government Housing Bank, under the supervision of BOT. The data linking requires the data owner’s consent. Operating in compliance with the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA), this system will reduce the troubles due to paperwork and the complexities involved with identity proofing and authentication that are time-, resource- and labor-consuming. It will allow for greater convenience and faster workflow. Users will not need to use several IDs to access the service.
This year’s new students begin the registration process by going to https://www3.reg.cmu.ac.th/stdinfo/ where they will self-authenticate using only their 13-digit national identification number through the NDID. They will need to have an account with one of the banks mentioned above to access the service through the bank’s mobile application. Those who do not have a bank account can self-authenticate at any branch of the participating banks, and those who do not have a national identification number or do not wish to self-authenticate through the NDID can still do so using the old system as well.
This new registration system will make its debut on June 7, 2022, with first-year students of the 2022 academic year. Once having completed the registration, they will receive a CMU account to log into the CMU MOBILE app that will allow them to use the university’s services. CMU now plans to implement the NDID self-authentication on a wider scale, covering students of other years and university staff subsequently.
The best technology is the one that best answers the needs of the people. Following the digital transformation policy, CMU strives to sustainably use innovation to its maximum benefits and become a digital university that is ready for the future world.