India back in International exam it quit 10 years ago over dismal ranking

A decade after the then UPA government's ban, Indian students will once again be able to participate in the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) that aims to evaluate educational systems by measuring 15-year-old school pupils' scholastic performance on mathematics, science, and reading.

Back in 2009, PISA was banned because of India's poor show wherein it ranked 72 out of the 74 nations participating in it. To end the exile, Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) on Thursday signed an agreement with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) that conducts the triennial test.

Hereon, Indian students will participate in the assessment exam, which is next scheduled for 2021. Schools run by Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS), Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS) and schools in the UT of Chandigarh will participate.

The ministry said that participation in PISA will improve learning levels of children and enhance quality of education in the country, adding that the OECD has agreed to ask some of the questions based in the Indian context —one of the issues flagged at the time of banning.

PISA is a competency-based assessment that helps provide comparable data with a view to enable countries improve their education policies.

"Learnings from participation in PISA will help to introduce competency-based examination reforms in the school system and help move away from rote learning," said Maneesh Garg, joint secretary, ministry of HRD.