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 survey was carried out in both government and private schools and involved lakhs of students from different boards.
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.
