Government of India has authorised the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to determine nationwide equivalence of Class 10 and Class 12 certificates issued by school education boards across the country.
According to a notification published in the e-Gazette on 6 September 2025, NCERT will now handle this responsibility for the purpose of admissions to higher education institutions and recruitment to Central, State and Union Territory government jobs, as well as for private institutions that recognise such equivalence. This move supersedes the 15 November 2021 notification that had entrusted the task to the Association of Indian Universities (AIU).
NCERT will discharge this function through its National Assessment Centre – PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development), established under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The mechanism aims to ensure a robust, academically rigorous process for evaluating parity among certificates issued by different boards.
The system covers all recognised Indian school boards, whether created by an Act of Parliament or State legislature, by executive order, or by statutory bodies. The equivalence granted by NCERT will be valid across India and will automatically guarantee inter-board parity, enabling smooth student migration between boards for education or employment.
- Authority Shift: Responsibility moves from AIU to NCERT.
- Scope: Applies to Central, State and recognised private school boards nationwide.
- Purpose: Uniform acceptance of Class 10 and 12 certificates for college admissions and government jobs.
- Implementation: Through NCERT’s PARAKH centre under NEP 2020.
This landmark step is expected to simplify inter-board transitions, ensure uniform recognition of academic credentials, and strengthen the national education framework.
