Jammu and Kashmir Govt Designates Board of School Education as State Standards Authority as per NETP 2020

The Jammu and Kashmir state government has designated the Board of Secondary Education as the State School Standards Authority for the Union Territory. As per the order issued by the Undersecretary in the School Education Department, the decision is aimed at ensuring transparent, independent and effective regulation of schools across Jammu and Kashmir. 

The order issued states that in exercise of the powers vested in the School Education Department, the JK Board of School Education is hereby designated as the State School Standards Authority (SSSA) for the Union Territory in accordance with the provisions and mandates of the National Education Policy 2020. 

The order issued also states that the SSSA should look into recommendations from PRARAKH, the national assessment centre under NCERT, which suggests that the state examination board should become SSSA to maintain uniform standards across school boards.

Other boards, like CBSE at the national level and boards in Himachal Pradesh and Mizoram, have already been designated as SSSAs by their governments. The SSSAs will oversee the separation of regulatory, academic, examination and administrative functions and will also be responsible for matters related to standard setting, monitoring and ensuring compliance with norms concerning safety, infrastructure, teacher qualifications, governance and financial probity.