The National Assessment Centre is an institution and a concept officially named PARAKH, which stands for Performance Assessment, Review and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development. It was established as an independent constituent unit within the NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training) via a Notification dated 8th Feb, 2023. The Centre's creation was mandated by Para 4.4.1 of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 to address the problem of wide disparities and lack of uniformity in student assessment across India's numerous school boards.
PARAKH functions as India's first national assessment regulator, setting norms, standards, and guidelines for student evaluation for all recognized school boards. Its mechanism involves three major areas: Capacity Development in Competency Based Assessment, conducting Large-Scale Achievement Surveys to monitor learning levels, and working towards the Equivalence of School Boards. For instance, it conducted the State Educational Achievement Survey on November 3, 2023, assessing learners in Grades 3, 6, and 9. The Centre is directly connected to the NEP 2020 and the NCERT, and is also responsible for managing India's participation in international assessments like PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment). Its establishment in 2023 represents a significant recent change, replacing the previous disparate assessment system with a framework focused on competency-based learning and holistic development, moving away from rote memorization.