PARAKH Survey 2025: NCERT’s New Move to Measure Learning Outcomes

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has launched the PARAKH Survey (Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development) to assess the learning levels of students across India. This is a national achievement survey aimed at identifying gaps in learning outcomes and helping improve the quality of school education. The

I chose to write about this because the PARAKH initiative is one of the first structured steps in India towards setting up a common assessment system for students. With every state following a different curriculum and exam standard, comparing learning outcomes has always been a challenge. This survey aims to create a common yardstick, which can help shape policies and classroom practices. It’s also important for students, parents, and teachers to understand that the goal of this survey is not to rank students, but to understand what and how well they are learning. Knowing about PARAKH can help everyone become more involved in improving school education at the ground level.

What Is PARAKH?

PARAKH stands for Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development. It is a part of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 framework and functions as an independent wing under NCERT. The main goal of PARAKH is to monitor the performance of school students and help standardise assessments across states.

Instead of using marks as the only parameter, PARAKH focuses on competency-based evaluation, which means understanding how well a student applies concepts rather than just remembering facts.

Objectives of the PARAKH Survey

The PARAKH survey has clear goals aimed at both understanding and improving the Indian education system:

Measure learning outcomes across states, regions, and social groups
Identify gaps in foundational literacy and numeracy
Create a national benchmark for student achievement
Guide curriculum changes and teacher training
Promote a shift from rote learning to skill-based education
Help policymakers track progress towards NEP 2020 targets

Key Highlights of the Survey

The most recent survey under PARAKH covered students of Classes 3, 5, 8, and 10 across multiple subjects, including language, mathematics, environmental science, science, and social science.

Some key facts include:

Around 50 lakh students from 86,000+ schools participated
Assessment included students from both government and private schools
Conducted in multiple languages to include linguistic diversity
Covered over 700 districts in India
Digital and paper-based formats were both used depending on school facilities

The results from this survey are expected to help NCERT build a performance dashboard for each district, which can further help in focused interventions.

Why PARAKH Matters for Indian Education

For a long time, education in India has been divided by boards, languages, and systems. PARAKH tries to bring unity by creating a common framework to evaluate what students are learning. It will also help in:

Making assessments less stressful and more meaningful
Improving teaching practices by identifying areas where students struggle
Giving schools and teachers data they can actually use
Supporting underperforming regions with targeted efforts

Importantly, this kind of survey also shows students and parents that learning is about understanding, not just marks. That mindset shift is vital for the education reforms India is aiming for under NEP 2020.

Education and Employment Can Transform Society: Dinesh Gundu Rao Highlights the Way Forward

During a recent public address in Mangaluru, Karnataka’s Health and Family Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao stressed that education and employment are two powerful tools that can shape the future of any society. He pointed out that when people are educated and have meaningful jobs, they can rise above social divisions, poverty, and other long-standing issues. His statement came while addressing students and faculty at a function organised at Srinivas University, where he also touched on the importance of knowledge-driven growth.

I felt the need to write about this because it’s rare to hear such a strong political focus on the link between education, employment and overall societal transformation. We often hear about schemes, budgets and infrastructure, but rarely is the bigger picture discussed—how these two sectors can change the life of a common person. This topic matters to all of us, especially the youth, who are navigating a fast-changing job market while also dealing with rising academic pressure. By writing about this, I hope more people start thinking seriously about how education is not just about degrees, and employment is not just about money—it’s about dignity, stability and progress.

Why Education and Employment Matter Together

Education and employment are often treated as separate issues, but in reality, they go hand-in-hand. Education gives people the ability to think, create and contribute. Employment gives them the opportunity to apply what they know, support their families, and be part of the economy. According to Dinesh Gundu Rao, these two pillars must be developed together if we want a fairer and more productive society.

He stressed that:

Lack of access to education pushes people into poverty.
Unemployment leads to frustration, crime, and brain drain.
A society that fails to create job-ready youth will always remain unequal.

This is why investing in schools, colleges, and job-oriented courses is not just a policy decision—it’s a moral responsibility.

Government’s Role in Creating Equal Opportunities

During the event, Rao mentioned that governments should focus not only on building schools and colleges but also on ensuring the quality of education. He said students from rural areas often struggle because they don’t have the same access to English-medium teaching or computer labs as those in urban areas. This kind of inequality reflects in the job market too, where rural youth get fewer chances.

He also pointed out that:

Many graduates remain unemployed or underemployed because they are not industry-ready.
There is a big gap between what is taught in classrooms and what the job market demands.
Career counselling and vocational training should start at the school level.

According to him, if we want to see real change, we need long-term thinking and serious government commitment—not just one-time policies or election promises.

Importance of Social Harmony for Progress

One of the key messages Rao delivered was about unity. He said education should be a tool to unite people and not divide them. The minister raised concern about how communalism and polarisation are slowly taking attention away from important issues like job creation and educational reform.

He added that:

When youth are unemployed, they are more vulnerable to divisive ideologies.
Education can help people develop critical thinking and tolerance.
A strong education and employment ecosystem reduces dependence on populist politics.

He urged young people to stay informed, ask questions, and focus on real-life issues rather than distractions.