NEWS – PARAKH, under NCERT, has submitted an ‘equivalence’ report to the Ministry of Education. The report aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, aiming to standardize academic standards across various school boards.

HIGHLIGHTS

Understanding Equivalence

• Current Diversity: India has 69 school boards with varied curricula, exams, and structures.
• Objective: The goal is to ensure uniform benchmarks without imposing complete uniformity, providing a standardized educational experience across different boards.

Key Recommendations

• Assessment Integration: Final Class 12 results will include 15% from Class 9, 20% from Class 10, 25% from Class 11, and 40% from Class 12.
• Credits System: Introduce credits for subjects, online courses, and holistic activities. Progress cards will include self-evaluations, teacher assessments, and peer feedback.
• Professional Paper Setters: Establish a cadre of trained teachers for preparing standardized question papers.
• Question Banks and Blueprints: Develop question banks and blueprints for Class 9, 10, 11, and 12 exams.

Administrative Recommendations

• Affiliation Guidelines: Finalize school affiliation conditions and conduct periodic reviews. Limit affiliation to a maximum of three years.
• Anti-Cheating Measures: Implement mechanisms to prevent cheating and handle exam papers securely.

Curriculum and Infrastructure

• Digital Literacy: Incorporate coding, cybersecurity, and adhere to the National Curriculum Framework.
• Basic Infrastructure: Ensure availability of essential facilities like toilets, internet, libraries, labs, and accessibility features.

Implementation and Next Steps

• Assessment and Meetings: 32 boards were assessed, and recommendations were developed. Further meetings with state boards and preparation of roadmaps for achieving benchmarks are planned.
• Challenges: Implementing equivalence is complex and slow, requiring boards to adopt proposed changes.

PARAKH

• PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development) aims to end the emphasis on rote learning as per the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
• It will set norms, standards, and guidelines for student assessment and evaluation across all recognized school boards in India.
• PARAKH will encourage school boards to align assessment patterns with the 21st-century skill requirements.