Press Release

Pearson VUE brings higher education and business leaders together to discuss the future of assessments in India


NEW DELHI, INDIA, 12th September 2019 – International assessment leaders, higher education policy-makers, trade associations, and university chancellors, came together yesterday in New Delhi, to outline and debate global best practices around "The Future of Assessments in India: Transforming Exam Standards in Higher Education and the Workplace."

At an exclusive event hosted by Pearson VUE, the global leader in computer-based testing, key decision-makers across the education and assessments sectors, ran workshops and delivered keynote presentations on topics ranging from university admissions testing, psychometrics, and online proctoring, to the importance of skills-focused certifications. India is currently making major progress in the higher education sector through a collaborative effort from Government, industry and academia, with a focus on the adoption of new technologies, upskilling of workers and key cross-sector initiatives such as ‘Digital India’.

Pearson VUE’s Divyalok Sharma, Senior Director (Client Development), Erik Meyer, Director, Content Development and Neil Wilkinson, Content Development Manager, led the prestigious industry gathering.

Mr Sharma said: “The world of assessments is made up of many influential individuals and organisations who have a shared vision to transform education for the next generation of learners. We were delighted to recognise this collective ambition at our event, which provided a platform for the exchange of expert insights and perspectives, with the aim of further raising assessment standards across the education sector and within the workplace in India.”

Key observations from the event included:

  • Chief Guest at the event, Dr. MP Poonia, Vice Chairman, AICTE, said, “Learner autonomy helps in improving students’ learning curve, by allowing them to be free and utilizing their energies in the right direction. The future of assessment depends on how we are able to generate interest among students to learn independently. Teachers will play in important role in encouraging greater autonomy in learning.“
  • Dr. Priyanka Sharma, Senior Advisor – Research, Testing and Psychometrics, National Testing Agency (NTA - under MHRD) said, “There is a need for assessment analytics to drive learning analytics and when both analytics work in synchronization, we will have better learning outcomes for students. Computer-based assessments are the future of tomorrow. We need to adapt our current testing practices to provide the very best for our students.”
  • Mr. Navanit Samaiyar, CEO, Alliance of Skill Training Partners (ASTP) said, “There is a need to recognize and assess individuals for the capabilities they possess, which can help us achieve our goal of up-skilling 50 crore people by 2020. The responsibility of upskilling lies with employers to participate in the development of new policies and to be at the forefront of adopting the best learning and development tools for their employees.”

The programme of speakers included: Mr. Kunwar Shekhar Vijendra, Chancellor, Shobhit University, Ms Kirti Seth, Industry Lead for FutureSkills, NASSCOM, Dr. Priyanka Sharma, Senior Advisor, Research, Testing and Psychometrics, National Testing Agency, and Mr. Navanit Samaiyar, CEO, Alliance of Skill Training Partners (ASTP).


Media contact

Caroline Darrington, Global PR & Communications Manager
0207 010 2584
caroline.darrington@pearson.com