S. Esther Rani's schooling has gone through many twists and turns. After studying till Class V in a Tamil medium school, she decided to join a CBSE English medium school. But she could not cope with the new syllabus and joined Class I to start all over again. “I was 15 years and studying in Class V. I decided to directly take up the Class X Board exam through the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS),” she says.
Learning at one's own pace, self-explanatory curriculum and a choice of subjects are key to the open school system. “I did no have to go through the ordeal of taking up monthly tests and anxiously preparing for the board exams,” says Esther Rani, who has secured admission to B.A. English Literature in a city college.
The NIOS has 13 study centres in the city, including two schools for special children. The open school examination is usually preferred by Army jawans who want to study in the Hindi medium, students who could not complete their education and those who want to learn beyond the textbooks or concentrate on extracurricular activities.
ADVERTISEMENT
“We also have commerce students who want to pursue pilot training. They take up the science subjects exams offered by NIOS and become eligible,” says Geetha Mohan, vice-principal, Saraswathi Kendra Learning Centre for Children (SKLC), which is one of the study centres.
Most centres accommodate both regular students and students with learning difficulties in their classrooms. “Attendance is not compulsory. Students can also choose the subjects they wish to take up, including various vocational subjects,” says Vasantha Venkatachalam, vice-principal, SKLC.
Experts say that the syllabus is tougher than the State Board syllabus and almost equivalent to the Central Board of Secondary Education. But the study material is designed is such a way that it is easy to comprehend.
ADVERTISEMENT
Students from other boards who have failed in their examination can also transfer the credit of two of their subjects to the open school and complete the exam within five years. “The National Institute of Open Schooling is planning to introduce Tamil as a new language option for students in the higher secondary level examination,” says V.S. Raveendran, regional director, NIOS.
But many feel that it would be more beneficial if Tamil is introduced as a medium of instruction. “It would be valuable for the school dropouts and the aged,” says Nanditha Krishna, Founder Director, SKLC.
Students, meanwhile, feel the need to receive textbooks at the start of the academic year and also timely declaration of final results.