First state education achievement survey on November 3, to cover 11 million school students

NEW DELHI: The first State Education Achievement Survey will be conducted on November 3 by the national assessment regulator PARAKH and will cover 11 million students across the country, according to officials. The survey aimed at identifying areas requiring improvement in learning will be held across states, targeting school students up to the block level.

It will be a precursor to the Education Ministry's annual National Achievement Survey (NAS), which is conducted at the district level. Officials familiar with the development told PTI that it will be the first survey conducted by the Performance Assessment, Review and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development (PARAKH), an organisation under the NCERT.

It is tasked with bringing the school boards across the states and the Union territories on a common platform. Scheduled for November 3, SEAS (State Education Achievement Survey) 2023 has been designed to enhance the learning standards for students in Classes 3, 6 and 9.

Operating at the block level, this survey encompasses a comprehensive range of competencies, spanning the foundational, preparatory, and middle stages of education.

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Objectives of state education survey

According to the officials, SEAS will represent a distinctive and baseline assessment, marking a gradual shift from rote learning to competency-based education. The adoption of competency-based learning holds the potential to foster the holistic development of students, they said, adding that these efforts are dedicated to nurturing the well-rounded growth of future generations.

This survey will prove invaluable in realising this aspiration, the officials said. "At the heart of this endeavour is the belief that every child deserves a well-rounded education. Our competency-based assessment system aims to assess not just what students know but also how well they can apply that knowledge in real-world scenarios," head and CEO of PARAKH Indrani Bhaduri said.

Bhaduri also heads the NAS cell at the NCERT which conducts the crucial national level large-scale assessment to obtain information about the learning achievement of students of Classes 3, 5, 8 and 10 studying in state government schools, government-aided schools, private unaided and central government schools.

The ETS, which conducts key tests such as TOEFL and GRE, was chosen by the National Council for Education Research (NCERT) for setting up the regulatory platform. Sachin Jain, country manager of ETS India and South Asia, said, "By joining forces with the NCERT, we are committed to fortifying the assessment process, ensuring its robustness, and elevating the quality of large-scale surveys in the educational sector."

"The shared objective is to provide accurate, equitable, and insightful assessments, empowering educators, and policy-makers to make informed decisions that will shape the future of education in India," he added. A reform outlined in the new National Education Policy (NEP), PARAKH will set up assessment guidelines for all boards to help remove disparities in scores of students enrolled with different state boards.

In partnership with states and Union territories, PARAKH is working towards assessing more than 11 million students nationwide. "This effort yields invaluable data and insights, which can be harnessed to craft precise interventions at the block level, effectively tackling specific challenges and promoting inclusive development. Ultimately, this endeavour paves the way for a brighter and more equitable future for students throughout the nation," the official said.