Guwahati: The Government of India has entrusted the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) with the responsibility of granting equivalence to Class 10 (Secondary) and Class 12 (Senior Secondary) certificates issued by school education boards across the country.
The notification, issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy on September 6, 2025, supersedes an earlier directive from November 15, 2021, which had vested the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) with this role. Under the new framework, NCERT will discharge this responsibility through the National Assessment Centre Performance Assessment, Review and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development (PARAKH) established under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
The move aims to create a robust, academically rigorous mechanism for determining equivalence, ensuring the highest educational standards. The equivalence will apply to all Central, State, and private school boards set up by Acts of Parliament or State legislatures, government orders, or recognised statutory bodies.
Once granted, equivalence by NCERT will be valid across India and automatically provide inter-se parity between boards, thereby facilitating smooth student mobility across school education systems, as well as aiding admission to higher education institutions and eligibility for government employment.