New Delhi, May 22 (PTI) The Union Ministry of Education and national assessment regulator PARAKH on Monday organised the first workshop to brainstorm school assessments, examination practices and equivalence of boards across the country.

"In India, currently there are around 60 school examination boards that are operating in different states and Union Territories. The aim is to establish a unified framework that enables seamless transitions for students moving between different boards or regions," School Education Secretary Sanjay Kumar said at the workshop.

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"This includes aligning curriculum standards, grading systems and evaluation methodologies to enhance the credibility, recognition of certificates and grades obtained across boards," he added.

A reform outlined in the new National Education Policy, PARAKH will set up assessment guidelines for all boards to help remove disparities in scores of students enrolled with different state boards.

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The Performance Assessment, Review and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development (PARAKH) will work on setting norms, standards and guidelines for student assessment and evaluation for all recognised school boards.

Education Testing Service, which conducts key tests such as TOEFL and GRE, has been chosen by the National Council for Education Research for setting up the regulatory platform.

"The workshop focused on discussion on equivalence across educational boards. Multiple stakeholders were informed regarding the conception of PARAKH. The discussion revolved around the need to reassess the prevailing rote examination culture in our education system. There is a growing realisation that holistic assessments, encompassing various dimensions of a student's abilities and potential, are equally important," a senior education ministry official said.

"Further, the discussion emphasised the need for well-designed and standardised question papers, ensuring fairness and consistency across schools and boards. Additionally, there is a call to strike a balance between formative and summative assessments, reducing the burden of high-stakes examinations while effectively measuring a student's progress. An analysis of examination results of secondary and higher secondary boards was also presented," he added.

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