Jharkhand Govt Schools To Undergo Third-Party Evaluation for Quality Education Initiatives

Ranchi: The department of school education and literacy is planning a comprehensive third-party evaluation of various initiatives in govt schools managed by the Jharkhand Education Project Council (JEPC) to analyse measurable improvements in teaching-learning processes, learner engagement and overall academic performance.

Secretary Uma Shankar Singh said that the department operates multiple schemes, including smart classes, ICT classes, FLN (foundational literacy and numeracy) championship and others, to ensure quality education. “Every year, old schemes are extended or new components are added to ongoing programmes without finding out how beneficial they are. There is a need for a formal structure where a third-party assessment would help us understand the actual impact,” he said.

He added that finding out whether the schemes are working or not will assist in providing quality education and will be instrumental in policy formation and better implementation of new projects. “The evaluation will help determine if the targeted beneficiaries are truly receiving the intended benefits,” Singh said, adding that by the end of this financial year, the department will have a clear picture of the various schemes and their benefits, and that the assessment will be made an annual event.

The department is seeking an independent evaluator to conduct a deep dive into the design, implementation fidelity, coverage and efficacy of these interventions in both urban and rural areas. A formal tender has been floated for the work, and interested agencies have until April 15 to submit their applications.

The primary goal of the impact evaluation study will be to assess the effects of specific govt interventions, including maths and science labs, ICT tools, SMART classes, vocational education and residential schools.

Beyond student engagement and curiosity, the study will examine how these tools impact instructional practices. The scope includes a detailed sectoral analysis to map the intended versus actual contribution of schemes. Data will be sourced from a diverse range of stakeholders, including students, teachers, parents and school staff. The evaluation will also aim to identify scalable best practices and home-grown innovations to be documented as case studies for wider dissemination.

Under programme harmonisation, the audit will provide critical recommendations on whether to continue schemes in their current form, modify, scale up, or close them down. If modifications are suggested, the evaluating agency will provide revisions for future implementation design.