The Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSE&L), Ministry of Education, Government of India, held a high-level National Conference on Curricular and Assessment Equivalence of Boards and Improving Learning Outcomes on 2nd July 2025 at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan, New Delhi.
The conference brought together over 250 senior officials from the Ministry of Education, State Education Departments, State Education Boards, SCERTs, and autonomous bodies such as CBSE, KVS, and NVS to deliberate on key issues related to improving learning outcomes and ensuring parity in curriculum and assessments across school boards.
Key highlights from the conference on board equivalence and learning outcomes
Shri Anandrao V. Patil, Additional Secretary, DoSE&L, emphasized NEP 2020’s core objectives which are competency-based education and comparability across school boards. Shri Sanjay Kumar, Secretary, DoSE&L, stressed the need for a collaborative and flexible approach to bring uniformity in assessments while accommodating local contexts and diversity in education systems.
Role of NCERT and PARAKH
Prof. Dinesh Prasad Saklani, Director, NCERT, discussed PARAKH’s critical role in aligning assessment practices with curricular goals. The event also witnessed the launch of the PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan Dissemination Portal, enabling open access to national and state-level data on student performance.
Prof. Indrani Bhaduri, CEO of PARAKH, shared key findings from the 2024 Rashtriya Sarvekshan, highlighting regional disparities in learning outcomes and areas where targeted interventions have led to measurable improvements.
State-level innovations
Officials from Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Maharashtra presented best practices and high-impact initiatives under Samagra Shiksha that have improved student learning outcomes at the ground level.
Frameworks for board equivalence
Seven State Boards including Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, and Mizoram, shared their approaches to developing state-level frameworks for curriculum and assessment equivalence. These presentations outlined policies, recognition mechanisms, and institutional strategies being implemented.
CBSE’s quality focus
Shri Rahul Singh, Chairperson, CBSE, highlighted CBSE’s commitment to quality education through institutional self-evaluation, teacher capacity-building, and greater transparency in school performance data.
Data-driven insights
Shri Venkatraman Hegde, DDG (Stats), presented a comprehensive analysis of the 2024 Secondary and Higher Secondary examination results across different school boards, offering insights into overall academic trends and disparities.
Strategic roadmap by PARAKH
A strategic framework was presented to support the establishment of State School Standards Authorities (SSSAs) and the implementation of the School Quality Assessment and Assurance Framework (SQAAF) to ensure that all schools meet minimum quality benchmarks.
Holistic Progress Cards (HPCs)
States and UTs were encouraged to implement Holistic Progress Cards. Ready Reckoner Videos were introduced to support schools and teachers in adopting child-centric, continuous evaluation practices aligned with competency-based education.
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Vocational education integration
Ms. Prachi Pandey, Joint Secretary, SE&L, emphasized the need to recognize school boards as awarding bodies for vocational education. This step is crucial to enabling seamless pathways between general and vocational streams, thereby supporting employability and lifelong learning as envisioned in NEP 2020.
The National Conference served as a key platform for knowledge-sharing, strategic planning, and collaborative dialogue among central and state education stakeholders. Discussions throughout the day reflected a collective resolve to advance the objectives of NEP 2020 by ensuring equity, comparability, and quality in school education across the country.
Concluding the event, Ms. Anusree Raha, Deputy Secretary, DoSE&L, expressed gratitude to all participants and reaffirmed the Ministry’s continued commitment to fostering coordination among boards, institutions, and states to build a more inclusive, transparent, and outcome-oriented school education system.
