'PARAKH' to bring harmony between the state and central boards in India

A new regulator, PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development), is being set up to oversee the process and conduct the National Achievement Survey (NAS)

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has been holding meetings with the state education boards to draw up a "benchmark framework" to bring uniformity across state and central boards. 

According to a report in The Indian Express (IE), the states and the centre follow different standards of evaluation, leading to wide disparities in marks. The centre is aiming to standardise the benchmark across the nation. 

A new regulator, PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development), is also being set up to oversee the process and conduct periodic tests like the National Achievement Survey (NAS) and State Achievement Surveys, the report added. 

PARAKH will also aim to do away with rote learning, as mentioned in the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

PARAKH will be "setting norms, standards and guidelines for student assessment and evaluation for all recognised school boards of India, encouraging and helping school boards to shift their assessment patterns towards meeting the skill requirements of the 21st century", according to the bid released by the Centre in early August. 

In the expression of interest (EOI), the government also said that if things go according to plan, PARAKH may conduct the first NAS by 2024.

"Its (PARAKH) team will consist of leading assessment experts with a deep understanding of the education system in India and internationally. PARAKH will eventually become the national single-window source for all assessment-related information and expertise, with a mandate to support learning assessment in all forms, both nationally and where applicable, internationally,” the EOI said, according to IE. 

Most state governments have agreed to the proposal of conducting the board exams twice a year in India for helping the students in improving their scores.