INTRODUCTION TO OPEN SCHOOLING

        Regardless of the country or its stage of development, various factors are combining to encourage policy-makers and senior bureaucrats throughout the world to examine or, in some cases to re-examine the contribution that open schooling (OS) could be making to the attainment of their jurisdiction’s secondary schooling objectives. Nowhere is this more evident than in the developing world, where past successes and major new challenges are giving rise to the examination and development of the OS model such that open schools become an integral vehicle for the achievement of public educational policy.

The National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) formerly known as National Open School (NOS) was established in November,1989 as an autonomous organisation in pursuance of National Policy on Education 1986 by the Ministry of Education (MOE), Government of India. NIOS is providing a number of Vocational, Life Enrichment and community oriented courses besides General and Academic Courses at Secondary and Senior Secondary level.

RURAL INSTITUTE OF OPEN SCHOOLING

         With an objective to provide a highly flexible type of education to the Secondary/ Senior Secondary Education level to the children belonging to rural areas, scheduled caste/ scheduled tribe, women etc., providing quality education through Open and Distance Learning System, to enable over-aged dropouts complete their schooling and in view of the need to accelerate the pace and progress of secondary education, especially in rural conglomeration, Rural Institute of Open Schooling (RIOS) has been established.

        Course Pass Criteria Certification Criteria Secondary Course A minimum of 33% marks in the aggregate (Theory plus Practicals where applicable) in the public examination. Pass in 6 subjects including at least two but not more than three languages (third language could be taken as extra subject) Senior Secondary Course A minimum of 33% marks (separately in theory and Practicals in subjects having both and also in aggregate) in the public examination.