The draft National Education Policy 2020, or NEP 2020, that was approved by the Union Cabinet on Wednesday envisions major reforms in the school and higher education systems. The new NEP 2020 seeks to test the students of Classes 3, 5, 8, 10 and 12 on the basis of their cognitive skills. Board exam patterns are set to change, report cards will look different and more detailed and a new standard-setting body, PARAKH, has been proposed to guide testing and all recognised school education boards.
As per NEP 2020's highlights on schooling, “All students will take school examinations in Grades 3, 5, and 8 also, which will test achievement of basic learning outcomes, and application of knowledge in real-life situations.”
NEP 2020: Board Exams
Although there will be continuation of board exams for Class 10 and Class 12, however, as per the new NEP 2020, the board exams will be made ‘easier'. The Class 10 board exams and Class 12 board exams will test primarily “core capacities, competencies rather than months of coaching or memorisation”.
The new NEP 2020 also mentions that boards may over time also develop further “viable models” of exams including annual, semester, or modular exams. These models will offer all subjects beginning with Mathematics, at two levels; two parts exams or objective type and descriptive type.
NEP 2020: Students' Assessment
As per the draft National Educational Policy 2020, the progress cards of all students for school-based assessment will be redesigned. The report-cards will be made “a holistic, 360-degree, multidimensional report that reflects in great detail the progress and the uniqueness of each learner in the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains”.
The report-card, as per the draft new NEP 2020, seeks to include self-assessment, peer assessment and teacher assessment.
The Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development,or PARAKH, will be set-up as a national assessment centre to act as a standard-setting body for setting norms, standards, and guidelines for student assessment and evaluation for all recognized school boards.
“Teachers to be prepared for a transformation in the assessment system by the 2022-23 academic session,” the new NEP 2020 added.
NEP 2020: NTA Common Aptitude Test
The National Testing Agency, or NTA, can offer the universities “a high-quality common aptitude test”. This test can also be held for specialised common subject exams in Sciences, Humanities, Languages, Arts, and Vocational subjects, at least twice every year for university entrance exams.
However, this provision of NTA conducting the tests, will not be mandatory for the universities.
