In an effort to standardise education, curriculum and facilities in schools across the country, Union human resource development ministry has proposed to create a National Institute for Assessment and Evaluation. The proposal, envisioned by Union HRD minister Kapil Sibal, aims to evaluate school boards across the country and establish certain set standards of teaching, evaluation and course curricula in schools.
The ministry is likely to bring out a blueprint of the proposed institute as the minister has already received the approval of state education ministers for establishing such a body. The go-ahead was given by the state governments at a meeting held last week.
The proposed National Institute for Assessment and Evaluation will also serve as an advisory institution for school boards. “The proposal is to establish a body which can help state boards in framing curricula, better teacher training standards and innovative and modern teaching practices in the classroom,” sources added.
Official sources said that the HRD ministry proposes to make the assessment and evaluation process voluntary for state education boards and schools. “The assessment and evaluation process has been kept voluntary as making such a process mandatory in nature could create unnecessary controversy. The states could have felt that the Centre was encroaching on their territory as education is a state subject,” sources said.
It was felt that making the process voluntary in nature would also help in making the states more open to the idea of a uniform assessment and evaluation standard of schools in the country.