The HRD ministry signed an agreement with the Organization for Economic Cooperation Development (OECD) on Monday and confirmed the participation of Indian in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) in 2021.
PISA was introduced in 2000 by the OECD and tests the learning levels of the students (15 years old) in reading, mathematics and science. The test is conducted by the OECD every three years. India opted to stay out of the competition in 2012 and 2015 on account of its poor performance in 2009 test in which it secured 72nd place among the 74 participating countries.
Under the NDA government, the HRD Ministry revisited the decision in 2016 and committee was set up under Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) to review the matter. A report was submitted in December 2016 which recommended that India should participate. A similar recommendation was made in 2017 by a group of secretaries on education. The group was constituted by PM Modi.
“This will lead to improvement in learning levels of children and enhance quality of education in the country. The OECD has agreed to ask some questions based on Indian context. I am confident that our students will perform well,” HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar said on Monday.