The National Council for Education Research has selected the Education Testing Service, responsible for administering exams such as the TOEFL and GRE, to set up a regulatory platform (representational image).
To remove disparities in the scores of students enrolled in different state boards, the affiliated school boards will have to follow the guidelines specified by Parakh.
The Union Ministry of Education and National Evaluation Regulator Parakh on Monday organized the first workshop to brainstorm on school evaluation, examination practices and equivalence of boards across the country.
“In India, at present there are about 60 school examination boards functioning in different states and union territories. Speaking at the workshop, School Education Secretary Sanjay Kumar said the aim is to set up a unified framework that enables seamless transition for students between different boards or zones.
“This includes aligning curriculum standards, grading systems and evaluation methods, recognition of certificates and grades obtained across boards to enhance credibility,” he added.
A reform outlined in the new National Education Policy, Parakh will set up assessment guidelines for all boards to help address disparities in scores of students enrolled with different state boards.
The Performance Assessment, Review and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development (PARAKH) will work on establishing norms, standards and guidelines for student assessment and evaluation for all recognized school boards.
The Education Testing Service, which conducts major tests such as the TOEFL and GRE, has been selected by the National Council of Educational Research to set up the regulatory platform.
“The workshop focused on the discussion on equality in educational boards. Several stakeholders were informed about the concept of Parakh. The discussion revolved around the need to re-evaluate the rote-examination culture prevalent in our education system. A senior education ministry official said there is a growing realization that holistic assessment covering various dimensions of a student’s abilities and potential are equally important.
“Besides, the discussion emphasized the need for well-designed and standardized question papers, thereby ensuring fairness and consistency across schools and boards. Additionally, there has been a call for a balance between formative and summative assessment while reducing the burden of high-stakes exams while effectively measuring a student’s progress. An analysis of the examination results of secondary and higher secondary boards was also presented.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI,