The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 is a comprehensive framework aimed at transforming the India’s education system. It encompasses various aspects of education, including curriculum, pedagogy, assessment, and teacher training. In terms of large-scale learning assessment, the NEP 2020 emphasizes the need for holistic and continuous assessment methods to gauge the overall development of students.

In alignment with the aforementioned objectives outlined in the NEP 2020, The National Assessment Centre-PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development) has been set up at NCERT as an independent constituent unit via Notification no. 1-4/2012-EC/ 101- 164 of NCERT dated 8th Feb, 2023, to fulfil the basic objectives of setting norms, standards, guidelines and implement activities related to student assessment along with other tasks as mandated by Para 4.4.1 of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

The Key activities undertaken by PARAKH include:

1. Competency-Based Assessment for Holistic Development
 (a). Development and Dissemination of the Holistic Progress Card for Foundational, Preparatory, Middle and Secondary stages.

360-degree Holistic Progress Cards has been developed in order to aid assessment of Competency-Based learning-teaching by making assessments more comprehensive and holistic in nature. Further the dissemination of the HPCs at the National, State and District level is underway.

2. Large-Scale Achievement Survey

PARAKH, has been mandated to conduct national school education system health check-ups in the form of large-scale assessments such as the National Achievement Survey (NAS) and the Foundational Learning Study (FLS) to periodically monitor learning achievement levels within the country.

3. Equivalence of School Boards

PARAKH has been working with boards of school education in order to develop recommendations pertaining to equivalence of the school examination boards. Once equivalence is brought across all Boards of India, it will be possible to allocate credit points to all forms of learning, be it academic, vocational, or experiential.

Through these measures PARAKH has embarked upon a journey of setting norms, standards, guidelines, and implementing activities pertaining to student assessment in its major areas. Over the course of time, a major change in these domains is aspired.