School Education Quality Assessment: PARAKH, NAS, NEP 2020
UPSC / SSC current affairs note · Economy
Why in news
The Ministry of Education released findings of the PARAKH National Survey (PRS) 2024, showing significant improvement in foundational literacy and numeracy compared to NAS 2021. This underscores the impact of NIPUN Bharat Mission under NEP 2020.
Background
Education is in the Concurrent List; most schools and higher education institutions are under states/UTs. NEP 2020 emphasizes holistic development and competency-based assessment over rote learning. PARAKH was established on 8 Feb 2023 to set assessment norms and monitor school education quality.
Key facts
PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development) was set up on 8 Feb 2023.
PRS 2024 was conducted in December 2024 for students at the end of foundational (Class 3), preparatory (Class 6), and middle (Class 9) stages.
Over 21.15 lakh students from 74,000+ schools across 781 districts participated, along with 2.70 lakh teachers and school heads.
PRS 2024 results show notable improvement in foundational literacy and numeracy compared to NAS 2021, reflecting the positive impact of NIPUN Bharat Mission.
Contextual data on teacher training, pedagogy, home environment, digital access, school infrastructure, and community engagement were also collected.
National, state, and district reports are available on https://dashboard.parakh.ncert.gov.in/en.
NAAC evaluates and accredits higher education institutions for quality enhancement.
NIRF, launched in 2015, ranks higher education institutions on parameters like teaching-learning resources, research, graduation outcomes, outreach, and peer perception.
The Samagra Shiksha Scheme focuses on improving quality of school education.
Prelims pointers
- PARAKH: National Assessment Centre, established 8 Feb 2023
- PRS 2024: December 2024, for Classes 3, 6, 9
- NIPUN Bharat Mission: Foundational literacy and numeracy
- NAAC: National Assessment and Accreditation Council
- NIRF: National Institutional Ranking Framework, launched 2015
- Samagra Shiksha Scheme: Centrally sponsored scheme for school education quality
- Concurrent List: Education falls under it
Mains angles
- Discuss the role of PARAKH and PRS in improving school education quality under NEP 2020.
- Critically examine the effectiveness of NIPUN Bharat Mission in enhancing foundational learning outcomes.
- Analyze the significance of NAAC and NIRF in ensuring quality in higher education.
- How does the Samagra Shiksha Scheme contribute to achieving the goals of NEP 2020?