National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS): The National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) an autonomous ISO 9001:2008 Certified institution under the Ministry of Education, Govt. of India. It was started by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) in 1979 which with its own independent system i.e. curriculum and examination gained certification as a learning facility for people that wanted to complete their education up to 12th/pre-degree or higher secondary level from all over the country strengthened the open school system through the National Policy on Education in 1986. Thus in November 1989, the Ministry of Education (MOE) through a Resolution (No. F.5-24/90 Sch.3 dated 14 September 1990 published in the Gazette of India on 20 October 1990), gave the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) formerly known as National Open School (NOS) the authority to register, examine and certify students registered with it up to pre-degree level courses.
Courses/Programs provided by National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS): With the mission of providing education to interested children or people(school drop-outs/left-outs) up to pre-degree level through Open and Distance Learning (ODL) mode, Some of the Courses/Programs available are: For 14+ years age group-Open Basic Education (OBE) Program that are equivalent to the formal school system, Secondary Education Course, Senior Secondary Education Course, Vocational Education Courses/Programs and Life Enrichment Programs. For this purpose, the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) supply study printed self-instructional material (available in English, Hindi, and Urdu mediums), audio, and video programs, provides flexibility in the choice of subjects/courses, the pace of learning (gets 5 years or 9 chances to appear in public examination), On-Demand Examination System (ODES) for Secondary and Senior Secondary level, provides 28 subjects in eight mediums (Hindi, English, Urdu, Marathi, Telugu, Gujarati, Malayalam, and Odia) for Secondary Examinations and Senior Secondary Examinations along with 20 vocational subjects combination for Senior Secondary level. National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) also has programs for physically, mentally, and visually challenged learners and candidates.
Functioning of the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS): It is known that to date, more than 4.1 million students have enrolled in NIOS which has its network throughout India and abroad. It functions through 5 departments, having 23 Regional Centers, 2 Sub Regional Centers, 2 NIOS Cells, and more than 7400 Study Centers. If you want more information, you can visit their website, email them or call them on the toll-free no provided below:
Website: https://nios.ac.in
Email: isc@nios.ac.in
Phone: 1800 180 9393(Toll-Free)
Recognition of National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS): As NIOS is run by MHRD of the central government of INDIA, it is a recognized board and has equal value as other boards. There are some schools/colleges/institutes that may ask or require an authentication letter/certificate from your board (where you studied) to join higher studies stating your NIOS board eligibility which can be easily applied through the application. NIOS students can also appear or apply for competitive, scholarship, and government exams.
National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) Admission Process: The admission process for 10th & 12th std. of NIOS is different. Below are the details for students who wish to take admission in the appropriate classes:-
a) The Student who wants to apply for 10th Std. Admission: Even though no formal education is required to get admission to 10th STD. The eligibility criteria and essential documents required for Admission to NIOS Secondary Education Course are as follows:
1. At the time of applying for admission, the candidate must have attained the age of 14 years.
2. The candidate must have the date of birth certificate with his/her name issued by the local municipal authority, or An Aadhaar, or A valid passport showing the candidate's complete date of birth.
3. If the candidate has attended any school, then the school Leaving Certificate (LC) duly countersigned by the education officer.
4. A valid Address proof (current address) of the candidate.
5. Latest Passport size photo of the candidate.
6. Certificate from the competent authority (If the candidate is physically disabled or belongs to SC, ST, or OBC categories).
b) The Student who wants to apply for 12th Std. Admission: Students applying for 12th std. should have the following documents while filling the admission form:
1. The candidate must have passed his/her 10th Std. from any recognized board in India.
2. The candidate must have a scanned copy of their 10th Std. mark sheet.
3. The school Leaving Certificate (LC) from the school.
4. A valid Address proof (current address) of the candidate.
5. Latest Passport size photo of the candidate.
6. Certificate from the competent authority (If the candidate is physically disabled or belongs to SC, ST, or OBC categories).
Admission Process: Admission to the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) is completely done online on NIOS's official website (https://nios.ac.in/admission.aspx). The interested candidate needs to register themselves on their official website and then fill the online admission form and submit the mentioned documents. Once the online admission form is filled, you can get complete details of the fee structure (the fees depend on the number of subjects applied by the candidate). The admissions are done in 2 blocks i.e. Block 1 for candidates willing to appear for their public exam in March/April and Block 2 for candidates willingly to for their public exam in September/October.
Advantages of joining NIOS: The following are the advantages of completing schooling through the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS):
a) Those who are not able to complete their former education due to various reasons can finish their education through distance mode.
b) Candidate can complete their education at their desired pace.
c) Candidates can join further studies or appear for a competitive exam.
d) The certification has equal weightage as other boards.
e) Those working can complete their graduation and get a promotion in their respective field or office/organization.
Disadvantages of joining NIOS: The following are the disadvantages of completing schooling through the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS):
a) Even though it is believed to have equal weightage as other boards, many institutions/universities do prefer other boards over NIOS candidates.
b) Candidates having passed from NIOS are often question about their choice of completing schooling through NIOS.
c) There are some complaints that certain universities or colleges do not consider or admit candidates passed out from NIOS and having equal or more marks/percentage.
d) There is news/reports that there is corruption in the NIOS board for getting admission to passing the exams.
e) Some private companies prefer candidates having completed their former education via regular mode than distance hence have less chance of getting a good job.
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