SRINAGAR, JUNE 17: Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (JKBOSE), which has been designated as the State School Standards Authority (SSSA) for the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir, organized a three-day workshop titled “SQAAF in J&K: Implementation and Way Forward” from Wednesday.
Twenty eminent educational experts, administrators and other stakeholders are participating in the programme for the effective contextualization and implementation of the School Quality Assessment and Assurance Framework (SQAAF) in Jammu & Kashmir.
The workshop seeks to develop a comprehensive roadmap for implementing SQAAF in Jammu & Kashmir, including institutional mechanisms, capacity-building strategies, monitoring frameworks and school support systems required for successful operationalization of the framework. The participants shall undertake a detailed analysis and review of the SQAAF Portal developed by JKBOSE for the Union Territory, as a digital platform to facilitate self-assessment for Government and private schools.
The portal on operation will be instrumental in data collection, quality monitoring, evidence-based evaluation and continuous school improvement. Technical sessions are being conducted to ensure the portal’s functionality, usability and alignment with the objectives of the School Quality Assessment and Assurance Framework.
The workshop also aims to contextualize and adapt the key quality indicators prescribed under SQAAF (published by PARAKH, NCERT) to the uniquely diverse educational and geographical realities of Jammu & Kashmir. Special emphasis is being placed on ensuring that the indicators adequately reflect the geographical, socio-cultural, linguistic and infrastructural diversity of the Union Territory while maintaining alignment with national school quality standards.
Addressing the inaugural session, Gh Hassan Sheikh, Secretary, JKBOSE, highlighted the Board’s evolving role as the State School Standards Authority and reiterated its commitment to establishing a robust, transparent and evidence-based system for assessing and enhancing school quality across the Union Territory. He said the framework will serve as an instrument in bolstering the educational landscape of Jammu & Kashmir, adding that the data collection will prove handy in future policy and technological interventions for improvement in the educational system.
Dr Parveen Singh, Director Academics, JKBOSE, expressed confidence that the outcomes of the workshop will contribute significantly to strengthening the quality ecosystem of school education in J&K and support the creation of a sustainable framework for educational excellence, accountability and continuous improvement.
The recommendations emerging from the workshop will serve as a foundation for the phased implementation of SQAAF across schools in the Union Territory, ensuring that every learner has access to quality education in a supportive and enabling environment.
