On Friday, August 18, the US-based Educational Testing Service (ETS) announced its first test centre in Jammu and Kashmir. The centres are aimed at helping students of the valley write the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) without having to travel outside the Union Territories (UTs).
The test centre will come up at the Hashtag Educational Services in the Regal Chowk in Srinagar. "This historic development promises to be a game-changer for study abroad aspirants in the region," said ETS, which is the world's largest non-profit educational assessment, research and measurement organisation, as noted in a report by PTI.
ETS India and South Asia Country Manager Sachin Jain emphasised that the setting up a world-class testing centre in Kashmir will give significant access to aspirants to study abroad. Previously, students from the valley had to travel to the neighbouring state of Punjab to take TOEFL and GRE assessments.
"Our breadth of initiatives across education, including global assessments, English language competency assessments from K-12 to college, skill development and assessment services, is a testimony to our commitment to invest in India and accelerate its journey to becoming a global knowledge powerhouse," Jain said.
The new centre is equipped with "state-of-the-art" facilities and adheres to stringent test security protocols to ensure a seamless testing experience for both TOEFL and GRE test takers, the company said. ETS India plans to invest further in partnering with agents and educational institutions in the Kashmir region, to support local students in their study-abroad journeys, as per PTI.
