Glossary
Plain-language definitions of every term you will encounter on the Shala Darpan portal.
Written by Gautami Bandopadhyay, founder of Shala Darpan Guide.
A
- Annual Confidential Report (ACR)
- A yearly performance record that the school head fills out for every government teacher and staff member. The ACR covers teaching quality, attendance, and conduct. It directly affects promotions, transfers, and increments. You can check your ACR entries through the Staff Window using your NIC-SD ID.
- Common confusion: The ACR is not the same as a report card. A report card is for students. The ACR is for staff.
- Application Number
- A tracking number the portal gives you after you submit any form online, such as a transfer order, scholarship application, or staff record change. Save this number. You need it to check your application status or follow up if something gets stuck.
- Where to find it: It appears on the confirmation screen after submission and in the application history section of your account.
C
- Captcha
- A challenge the site shows to prove you are a human and not a bot. On Shala Darpan you will see a distorted image of letters and numbers. Type what you see in the box below it.
- Captchas on this portal are case-sensitive. "Abc123" and "abc123" are different answers. Type carefully. If you get it wrong three times, the page locks you out for a few minutes. Wait and try again. There is no bypass.
- Practical tip: If the image is hard to read, look for a refresh button near the captcha. Clicking it gives you a new image. This works on most browsers.
- Citizen Window
- A public section of the official portal that anyone can use without creating an account or logging in. You can search for schools by name or code, look up student details, and check staff records at any government school in Rajasthan.
- The Citizen Window is useful for parents who want to verify their child's enrollment, for students checking results, or for anyone researching school data. You do not need an OTP or password to use it.
- Related: Full Citizen Window guide.
- Commissionerate
- An administrative division in Rajasthan that sits above districts. Rajasthan has several commissionerates, and each one groups a set of districts under a Commissioner. Some portal forms ask you to select your commissionerate before selecting your district.
- This field does not affect your school records, student data, or results. It is used for administrative reporting only. If you are unsure which commissionerate you belong to, pick the one that matches your district from the dropdown.
D
- District Education Officer (DEO)
- The government official in charge of education administration in a district. The DEO oversees school inspections, staff transfers, record corrections, and disciplinary matters. If your school head cannot resolve a problem through the portal, the issue usually goes to the DEO's office.
- Each district has one DEO. Schools in that district report to this officer. The DEO also has authority to approve or reject certain types of transfer requests and staff changes that go beyond what a school head can do on the portal.
- When you need the DEO: You will interact with the DEO's office for transfer approvals, record corrections that require administrative sign-off, and complaints about school-level decisions.
H
- HOD (Head of Department)
- The school head or principal who manages the school's Shala Darpan account through the School Window. The HOD is responsible for registering new students, updating staff records, uploading results, and handling login issues for their school.
- Every government school has one HOD listed in the system. If the HOD changes (for example, after a transfer), the new principal must update the record before they can log in with their own credentials.
- Common confusion: HOD is not the same as DEO. HOD works at the school level. DEO works at the district level. The HOD reports to the DEO.
J
- Jan Aadhaar
- Rajasthan's family identity system. Each family gets a unique Jan Aadhaar number, which links all family members under one ID. Jan Aadhaar is used for government services across the state, including education.
- Linking Jan Aadhaar to Shala Darpan connects student and staff records to your family identity. This is needed for some scholarship applications and for parents to access their child's records through Shala Samvad.
- What you need it for: Checking your child's report card as a parent, applying for certain scholarships, and verifying student enrollment.
- Related: Jan Aadhaar linking guide.
M
- Mobile App
- The official Shala Darpan Android app. It lets you check exam results, view report cards, search for schools, and access some portal features from your phone. The app works on Android 5.0 and above.
- The app does not include every feature found on the full website. For example, staff transfers and detailed school management still require the web portal. The app is best for quick lookups, result checking, and report card viewing.
- Related: Download and setup guide.
N
- NIC
- National Informatics Centre. This is the government technology agency that builds and hosts Shala Darpan along with many other government digital services across India. When people say "NIC-SD," they mean NIC's Shala Darpan system.
- You will see "NIC" in portal URLs and in some technical error messages. It does not refer to a separate system. It just tells you who runs the infrastructure behind Shala Darpan.
- NIC-SD Code (School)
- The unique identifier assigned to each school in the Shala Darpan system. This is a numeric code that the portal uses to look up school records. Every government school in Rajasthan has one.
- You need the NIC-SD code when searching for a school in the Citizen Window, when checking results, or when filling out any form that asks for school identification.
- Common confusion: The NIC-SD code is not the same as the UDISE code. The NIC-SD code is specific to the Shala Darpan portal. The UDISE code is a national code used by the Ministry of Education. A school has both, and they are different numbers.
- NIC-SD ID (Staff)
- Your unique employee identifier as a teacher or school staff member in the Shala Darpan system. Also called the employee code. You need this number for Staff Window login, transfer applications, and checking your staff details.
- Your NIC-SD ID is assigned when you are first entered into the system. It stays with you across school changes. If you transfer to a different school, the same ID follows you.
- Related: How to find your employee code.
O
- OTP (One-Time Password)
- A temporary numeric code sent to your registered mobile number. You need it to log in, reset your password, or verify certain actions on the portal. The OTP is valid for a short time, usually a few minutes, and expires after that.
- If you do not receive the OTP, check that your mobile number is current in the system. An old or incorrect number will not receive the message. You can also check that your phone has network signal and that messages are not blocked.
- Practical tip: If the OTP does not arrive within two minutes, try resending it. Do not request multiple OTPs in a row, as this can cause delays. Wait at least five minutes before trying again.
P
- Primary Education Learning Level Assessment
- The official name for the Class 5th board exam in Rajasthan. This is a state-level exam that tests students at the end of primary school. Results are published on Shala Darpan and on rajeduboard.rajasthan.gov.in.
- Related: How to check results.
- PSP Code
- Private School Portal code. This is the identifier used for private and aided schools on the separate RajPSP portal. It is different from the NIC-SD code, which is used for government schools.
- If you teach at or attend a private or aided school, your school uses the RajPSP system, not Shala Darpan. The two portals are run separately and do not share login credentials.
R
- RCSE
- Rajasthan Council of School Education. This is the governing body that maintains Shala Darpan data and manages education policy in the state. RCSE oversees school standards, data accuracy, and portal operations.
- You will not usually interact with RCSE directly. Most of your work happens at the school or district level through the HOD or DEO. RCSE is the state-level authority that sets the rules these offices follow.
- Report Card
- A student's academic record showing marks, grades, attendance, and teacher remarks for a given exam period. You can view report cards through Shala Samvad using a student login or a parent's Jan Aadhaar.
- Report cards are uploaded by the school after each exam. If a report card is missing or shows incorrect marks, contact the school head first. They can correct it through the School Window.
- Common confusion: A report card is for students. The ACR (Annual Confidential Report) is for staff. Do not confuse the two.
S
- Scholarship Schemes
- Government financial aid programs for students from specific categories or income groups. Applications and status tracking happen through Shala Darpan. Some scholarships require Jan Aadhaar linking, while others need income certificates or caste certificates.
- Each scheme has its own eligibility rules, deadlines, and documents. Check the scholarship section of the portal regularly, as new schemes are added and deadlines change each year.
- Related: Full list of schemes and how to apply.
- Secondary Education Learning Level Assessment
- The official name for the Class 8th board exam in Rajasthan. Like the Class 5th assessment, results are published on Shala Darpan and on the state education board website.
- Shala Darpan
- The integrated Rajasthan education portal, officially called "Integrated Shala Darpan I4S-Raj." It manages school, staff, and student records across the state. The official URL is rajshaladarpan.rajasthan.gov.in.
- Shala Darpan is the main system used by government schools in Rajasthan. It handles student enrollment, attendance, results, staff records, transfers, and scholarship applications. Citizens can use it to search for schools and check public records without logging in.
- Related: Complete overview.
- Shala Samvad
- The student and parent portal inside Shala Darpan. It is where students and parents can view report cards, progress reports, and academic records. You log in with a student account or a parent's Jan Aadhaar number.
- Shala Samvad is separate from the Staff Window and School Window. It is designed for students and parents, not for school administrators.
- Related: Login and usage guide.
- School Window
- The login area for school heads and administrators. Through the School Window, the HOD registers students, updates staff records, uploads results, and manages the school's Shala Darpan account.
- Only the designated HOD for a school can access the School Window. If the HOD changes, the record must be updated before the new person can log in.
- Related: School Window login guide.
- Staff Window
- The login area for teachers and school staff. Through the Staff Window, you can manage your personal records, check transfer status, view your ACR, and update your details.
- You log in with your NIC-SD ID and password. An OTP is sent to your registered mobile number for verification.
- Related: Staff Window login guide.
U
- UDISE
- Unified District Information System for Education. This is the national code system run by the Ministry of Education. Every school in India has a UDISE code, regardless of which state it is in. The code stays the same even if the school changes its name or management.
- Rajasthan also uses the NIC-SD code within Shala Darpan. The two codes serve different purposes. UDISE is used for national reporting and data sharing. The NIC-SD code is used for day-to-day operations on the Shala Darpan portal.
- Common confusion: Do not mix up the NIC-SD code and the UDISE code. They are different numbers for the same school. When a form asks for one, it usually does not accept the other. Check which code the form needs before you enter it.
- Related: UDISE code explained.