NCERT Now Final Authority on Equivalence of Class 10 and 12 Certificates Across All Indian School Board Certificates

New Delhi: The Government of India has appointed the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to determine the equivalence of Secondary (Class 10) and Senior Secondary (Class 12) certificates. This assessment is vital for students seeking admission to higher education and for employment across Central Government, State Government, and Union Territory positions. 

The Ministry of Education, specifically the Department of School Education and Literacy, issued a notification in the e-Gazette on September 6, 2025. 

This notification transfers the authority for certifying the equivalence of school certificates. Previously, this task was handled by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) under a notification dated 15th November 2021, which is now superseded. 

NCERT's New Role 

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) will now be responsible for this certification. 

NCERT will carry out this duty through PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development), its National Assessment Centre established under the National Education Policy 2020. 

This new structure is designed to ensure that the equivalence process is robust and academically rigorous, maintaining the highest educational standards. 

The new system covers certificates from all major Indian school boards: those run by the Central or State Governments, and private boards established by law or government order. 

The equivalence granted by NCERT will be: 

• Valid across the entire country. 
• Automatically establish parity (equal status) between different Indian school boards. 

This will make it significantly easier for students to transfer between boards or apply for higher education and jobs, as it facilitates smooth inter-School Education Board migrations. 

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