Ministry of HRD, under Prakash Javadekar, has decided that the country will participate in 2021 and the government will apply for the same next year. The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a triennial international survey which aims to evaluate education systems worldwide by testing the skills and knowledge of 15-year-old students in reading, mathematics, and science. The test is carried out every three years. India boycotted PISA in 2012 and 2015 on account of its dismal performance in 2009.

The government officials has requested PISA conducting body OECD to conduct PISA like assessment for students of Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) and Navodaya Vidyalayas (NVs) annually, starting next year.

“This will help our students familiarise themselves with their testing pattern in the run up to the grand assessment in 2021,” said a source, The HRD Ministry is learnt to have contacted the OECD representatives through a video conference in December last year and the latter has agreed to the request.

“After the first year (2018), we will gradually increase the sample size in 2019 and then 2020, which will cover a mix of private and public school children,” the above source added.

But unfortunately, India has missed the deadline to apply for 2018 hence the government shall now opt for the year 2021.

“But during the video conference (in December 2016) with OECD we realised that we had missed the application deadline for the test in 2018. So it was decided that in 2018 we will apply to the OECD to participate in PISA 2021,” said another source, who did not wish to be identified.

Such assessment has always been very scientific and standard which can help students assess their profile and help them choose their career and nation's standing in international perspective.  Hope to see such attempts in future as well.