NCERT to hold SEAS survey of school children on Nov 3

Srinagar: The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is scheduled to conduct the State Education Achievement Survey (SEAS) in all the schools across the country including J&K on November 3.

The SEAS would be conducted by the Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development (PARAKH) at NCERT.

As per the official document, the survey represents a distinctive and benchmark assessment, marking a gradual shift from rote learning to competency-based education.

The survey would be conducted to assess learning competencies at the end of the foundational, preparatory, and middle stages of education.

“The adoption of competency-based learning holds the potential to foster the holistic development of students. SEAS-23 will assess students of Grades 3, 6, and 9,” the official document reads.

At the national level, PARAKH at NCERT is guiding the implementation of SEAS 2023 while at the state level, Samagra Shiksha, and SCERT provide the guidance and support for its implementation.

In this regard, the Secretary in the Ministry of Education (MoE), Government of India, has written to all the Chief Secretaries and asked to issue appropriate directions to all stakeholders to ensure that all the sampled schools are open on the day of the survey for the sampled classes.

“Since the state and Union Territory (UT) level administration is in charge of carrying out this assessment exercise under the guidance of PARAKH, NCERT, the complete participation of the state and UT is crucial for the success,” the letter reads.

Notably, the SEAS 23 would cover the entire spectrum of schools including government schools of both central and state government, government-aided schools, and private schools in the sampled pool of schools.

“Approximately, 4.08 lakh schools and 1.12 crore students in 7466 blocks across 26 states and UTs will be covered,” the official communication reads.

This assessment exercise would provide information and insight about gaps in the achievement of students’ competencies and thus provide a strong foundation to design and implement the outcomes-based interventions at the block level in all states and UTs.

“A survey of this magnitude requires extensive cooperation on the part of all states and UTs, and other stakeholders within the states and UTs,” the letter reads.

Besides, one of the most important features of the conduct of SEAS 23 is that it must be conducted fairly and transparently to get results of high accuracy.

“This needs to be ensured at all levels by the state and UT administration. The finding of the SEAS 23 will have national significance and hence its credibility remains a crucial aspect at all stages of SEAS administration,” it reads.

The GoI has sought the participation of all students in the survey so that there is robustness in the collected data, meaningful results and conclusions can be drawn from the survey.

In the wake of this, J&K SCERT on Saturday organised a day-long orientation programme for DIET Principals and Associate Coordinators for successful SEAS 2023.

Around two lakh students of classes 3rd, 6th, and 9th from J&K would be assessed in Mathematics and language subjects.

“The orientation programme was held to train field investigators and other stakeholders,” an official said.

The official said that the feature of SEAS was its uniform and standardised implementation across all blocks in India, ensuring equal opportunities for competency assessment regardless of geographic or socio-economic disparities.

“SEAS goes beyond mere examinations. It offers constructive feedback and continuous improvement opportunities, empowering educators, policymakers, and parents with insights into our education system’s strengths and weaknesses,” the official said.