National Testing Service Pakistan (NTS), and Cito BV, the largest educational measurement organisation of Europe, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the promotion of quality education in Pakistan by cooperating in testing and assessment, and students’ monitoring system. A two-member delegation comprising Dr Haroon Rashid, Director NTS, and Rana Riaz Saeed, Senior Manager NTS, visited Cito office in Netherlands to discuss the matters of mutual interests with the Cito team including Marten Roorda (CEO), Dr Henk Moelands, Director Cito International, Prof Dr Theo Eggen, Senior Psychometrician and Diederik Schonau, Senior Consultant.
Through this MOU, it was agreed that NTS will benefit from Psychometric Center of Cito and initiate students’ monitoring system in Pakistan with the cooperation of Cito International.
Both the organisations would work jointly to collaborate and cooperate for the advancement of standardised educational assessment and measurement to produce market competitive human resource. They will establish an Institute of Educational Testing and Assessment in Pakistan for improving education system and share relevant expertise in a spirit of international cooperation with the possibilities of future collaboration on educational projects.
NTS and Cito will conduct and promote joint research on education and educational standards critical to repositioning of Pakistan in the emerging liberalised and globalised environment. They will also organise joint conferences, seminars and training workshops/programmes for faculty members and students and other institutions and cooperate for development of academic and research activities and exchange of researchers, exchanging published academic materials and other information.
NTS and Cito have also agreed that the academic delegates of both the organisations shall visit each other for mutual learning, orientation, gaining experience, initiate professional development programmes in the areas of testing and assessment, exchange information for test items development and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for test item development, operation methodology and marketing strategy. Both the organisations will also strive to mutual accreditation/recognition to each other’s test modules.