Students undergoing vocational training will soon be able to get a Class 12 certificate that will be equivalent to an intermediate certificate from Central and State Boards.
The National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Human Resource Development, is offering Class 12 and Class 10 certificates through open and distance learning system to students who pass three vocational papers — of same or similar vocations — and two academic papers, one of which should be a language paper. The other can be any of the subjects on offer.
“Till now, we had some vocational courses but these were not National Skill Qualification Framework-compliant. We have now given the syllabi a structured form and will be offering proper Class 12 certificates. This will make many students eligible for jobs that have Class 12 as a necessary qualification. They can also pursue higher education later by enrolling in B-Voc courses,” NIOS chairman professor C.B. Sharma told The Hindu.
The NIOS has also signed an MoU with the Directorate-General of Employment and Training to provide Class 12 and Class 10 certificates to those who have trained in the Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs). If the person has passed three vocational papers from ITIs, he/she can register with NIOS and pass two academic papers to earn a Class 12 certificate.
This will potentially benefit 18 lakh people who take admission to ITIs each year and also those who passed out of ITIs in the past.
Those who have passed courses in a variety of vocations like electrician, electronic mechanic, fitter, turner, wireman, motor vehicle mechanic, etc., from an ITI are eligible to complete two academic courses from the NIOS through open and distance learning.
The initiatives are part of the Narendra Modi government’s thrust on skill development, something that the UPA government had also tried to encourage at the school level.
