Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh is all set to introduce a transparent, easy and fully digital school evaluation system aimed at reassessing and strengthening the quality of state-run basic and secondary schools. Additional chief secretary for basic and secondary education, Partha Sarthi Sen Sharma, on Thursday said that school assessment under the School Quality Assessment and Accreditation Framework (SQAaF) will not be based on punishment or inspection, but on the principles of self-evaluation, guidance and continuous improvement.In line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, SQAaF, Sharma said, is not meant to discourage schools in any way, but to identify educational challenges and empower them to improve quality. “This framework is not merely an assessment document, but one that guides schools to establish themselves in line with global quality standards,” Sharma said.

Addressing educationists at the inauguration of a two-day state-level workshop on SQAaF, Sharma said that the framework has two major components: standards and mechanisms. The ‘mechanism’ ensures that the assessment process is transparent, digital and user-friendly, so that schools do not face difficulties in compliance, while the ‘standards’ are designed to ensure that all stakeholders—principals, teachers, students and parents—clearly understand the evaluation parameters and directives for improvement.

The assessment and evaluation under SQAaF include curriculum, teaching processes, school-community participation, the social impact of schools and co-curricular activities, ensuring the holistic development of students.

Meanwhile, director general of school education, Monika Rani, said that it is essential for schools to provide a positive learning experience. “Teachers are not merely instructors but guides for children and, therefore, SQAaF will be implemented with a sensitive and collaborative approach,” Rani said.

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