Forum For Autism



SMALL WRITE UP/OVERVIEW ON NIOS SECONDARY & SENIOR SECONDAYA lot of parents have been ringing/mailing me about NIOS. I thought I will post about it today. I hope its useful to parents toying with the idea about NIOS. This pertains mainly to NIOS secondary and senior secondary. I have no idea about OBE (Open Basic Education) which is in three levels A, B and C for lower grades A disclaimer : This is entirely based on my experience and there might be some ongoing changes in rules and procedures . This is only for an overview Note : Their website is great, though slightly confusing and intimidating for first time users. However all (including the books) are free downloads. You should download the prospectus and read in greater detail. Subject wise syllabus and previous year question papers are also available and so are learners guide, a short synopsis of the entire book (only for 10th). It is imperative to read the prospectus of the year in which you are seeking admission for there may be a change in the rules like addition of subjects etc. NIOS is the largest open schooling program in the world. It was started by Government in 1980s mainly for the underprivileged kids/school drop outs. Now it has emerged as an alternative for all the children who cannot pass CBSE, ICSE or State Board for any reason (say sports persons). It is also a boon for some children with special needs (specifically LD,Slow Learners and some kids with Autism. Every year around 3.5 lac kids finish 10th/12th through NIOS. It is open only to Indian citizens including NRIsSome features which I liked areYou have to take five subjects. It can be a regular thing like Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Accountancy, Economics etc. However for the special needs fraternity there are subjects like Home Science, Data Entry, Painting, etc which appear relatively easy (compared to CBSE. THUS FOR OUR KIDS, IT HAS EMERGED AS A VIABLE ALTERNATIVE TO CBSE/ISCE/STATE BOARDSOne has to take a minimum of one language and maximum of two languages. All major Indian languages are availableThe medium can be any of the listed Indian LanguageThe NIOS subjects for 10th and 12th are in the snapshots belowOne has to be minimum 14 years old to be eligible for secondary exam. You need either a school pass certificate of 8th with a TC or a self certification that one is fit to appear for Secondary. SELF CERTIFICATION IS ADVOCATED TO AVOID THE HASSLE OF GETTING A TC FROM SCHOOLThe entire books are sent by post by NIOS. No additional material is needed (though guides are available, even on e-commerce sites. Personally I found them useless and in some cases factually incorrect). Btw as mentioned earlier all the books are available as free pdf and audio books downloads from their site also. Reading the book and preparing as per the pattern of previous question papers is advocated The cost of the course is only Rs 1500/- or so (the target group is underprivileged kids). This includes the cost of books, registration etc. Another around Rs 500 is exam fee. This much be the cheapest in the worldThe exam can be given at the kids own pace. Exams are held twice an year. The child can opt for either one subject or all subjects at a time. (There is also a system for on demand examination practically every month. However would suggest the biannual ones for logistics)You can opt for six or even seven subjects. The best five will be taken. you can even afford to flunk in the remaining two, so you get to choose 5/7. (This to my knowledge is not available in CBSE or ICSE)One can stagger the subjects. THIS IS A MAJOR USP AS THE KID HAS AN OPTION TO TAKE ALL 5 SUBJECTS AT ONE GO OR TAKE THEM ONE OR TWO AT A TIME. THUS IT MAKES IT LESS STRESSFUL FOR OUR KIDSLong rope in the form of 9 chances are given. Passing mark is only 33%. Some of the subjects have theory and practical with suitable breakup. (Say Data Entry, which is basics of MS office has a 40:60 break up)20% marks in theory are from internal assessment (called TMA) in which the child can be helped by teacher/parent. This is a low hanging fruit. This has to be submitted to one of the schools accredited by NIOS (called AI- who just coordinate), the entire course is correspondenceIn NIOS, the entire course is through correspondence. The student is not attached to a school. The AI is supposed to conduct 30 sessions called PCPs(some conduct religiously and some on paper) . Having said that some schools like Sriram in Gurgaon and Narsimoorje in Mumbai, I am told, have a separate section for NIOSFor students with special needs there is an option to register with a SAIED, a special needs AI (like say tamanna in delhi). It’s a no brainer that the SAIED is more sensitive and accommodative. (They are free to register with a regular AI too. Allocation of AI is the choice of NIOS, though one normally gets the first choice AI indicated) Registration etc is fully online. PLEASE DO NOT FALL IN THE TRAP OF ANY AGENT. NOW OFFLINE ADMISSIONS ARE CLOSED. Kavita Sharma of Prayas had posted in one of the yahoo groups about how she (alongwith like-minded crusaders like FFA and AFA) had worked for some privileges of kids with special needs. Thanks to their untiring efforts a few steps have been taken by NIOS are for special needs kids are. My heartfelt Gratitude to Kavita, FFA and AFA teams and all others in this crusade. The extra benefits are-One extra hour (20 minutes per hour extra) for completing the exam (based on a disability certificate)-*Short break of 10 minutes per exam-Provision of a scribe (relaxation in the norms also)-*Provision for a caregiver to be present in the room ( A boon for kids for motivation/support)* These two are extra privileges not available in CBSE and ICSEOne has to apply for these concessions to the Regional Office of NIOS and the concessions are approved and at the discretion of the Regional Director. A disability certificate is mandatory for applying for these concessions.Another huge plus is that Now the kids with disabilities have to mark their disability on the top right hand corner of the answer sheet. There is a plan that their papers will be checked by another set of evaluators with some sensitivity towards special needs and/or special educators.One has the option to combine academic subjects alongwith one vocational subject (thus one can clear 10th/12th with four academic and one vocational subject). Vocational has choices (like bakery in 10th and catering management in 12th etc), which might suit some of our kids to a tee (as then it becomes four academic subjects only). Vocational is a separate admission process and the AI becomes a AVISome Cons 1. It is gathered that some elite institutions and universities do not admit children who have passed through NIOS (like they may not recognize subjects like home science or vocational etc) . This differs from univ to univ.Parents to check eligibility for higher studies in college/ universities of their choice before opting for NIOS.2. It is advisable to check with local parents for disability cert, concessions etc. Though supposedly the same, it is ultimately at discretion of Regional Director3. Books reach with delay or in some cases do not reach at all. The options are to print books after downloading the pdfs or Borrow books from students who have passed. Believe me, it is easier to forgo amount paid for books and not nag the officials about it, even though the student is entitled to receiving them. This gives us peace of mind and makes officials more amenable to our problems when we approach for concessions etc. They may just switch off if they get complaints all the time.4. Many parents report goof ups like marks of TMA not getting uploaded (fairly common), being marked absent etc. Goof ups happen here as they do elsewhere and they are not related to your childs disability. There is nothing personal in the goof up.5. Being a Government Office, the behavior of the concerned staff is a bit of potluck and things sometime are at a slower pace. Personally I found all of them to be reasonable (perhaps being of the same ilk)In case of any other queries regarding NIOS please mail me at snrcag@. Will try to answer to the best of my capability .RegardsSwaminathan ................
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