The National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) was started as a project with in-built flexibilities by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) in 1979. NIOS is an “Open School” to cater to the needs of a heterogeneous group of learners up to pre-degree level. It provides opportunities to interested learners by making available the following Courses/Programmes of Study through open and distance learning (ODL) mode such as Open Basic Education (OBE) Programme, Secondary Education Course, Senior Secondary Education Course, Vocational Education Courses and Life Enrichment Programmes. Check out the page for the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS).
National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS)
The National Institute of Open Schooling operates through a network of 05 Departments, 23 Regional Centres, 02 Sub Regional Centres, 02 NIOS Cells, and more than 7400 Study Centres (AIs/AVIs) spread all over the country and abroad. The NIOS is the largest Open Schooling system in the world with a cumulative enrolment of 4.13 million (during the last 5 years). Have a quick look at the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) from the table mentioned below.
| Name | National Institute of Open Schooling |
| Established | 1979 |
| Location | Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Courses | Secondary, Sr. Secondary, OBE, Vocational and D.El.Ed. |
| Website | nios.ac.in |
NIOS Admission Process
The procedure for Online Admission at the National Institute of Open Schooling is given below in the pdf. Check out the admission process from the following.
NIOS Academic Departments
The NIOS Academic Department has the following units. Check out the same from the following.
- Open Basic Education (OBE)
- Secondary and Senior Secondary Education
- Capacity Building Cell
- NCOS Secretariat
- COMOSA Secretariat
- Graphic Unit
- Library and Documentation Services
NIOS Courses and Programmes
The National Institute of Open Schooling offers the following courses and programs. Check out the same from the following.
Secondary –
This course is equivalent to the 10th standard. However, students will be required to successfully complete a minimum of five subjects with at least one language or at most two languages, which is compulsory for certification.
Senior Secondary –
This course is designed for those who have passed the 10th standard or equivalent examination from a recognized Board and would like to continue their education towards a Senior Secondary Certification, equivalent to 12th standard. However, students will be required to successfully complete a minimum of five subjects with at least one language or at most two languages, which is compulsory for Certification.
Open Basic Education (OBE) –
OBE Programme provides an elementary education at three levels, for school drop-outs and neo-literates, out of school learners through Accredited Agencies. The National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) has launched the Open Basic Education (OBE) Programme, as an alternative educational program that is equivalent to the Elementary Education Programme of the formal education system. This program explores and makes use of the potentialities of Distance Education Mode (DEM) for reaching the unreached. Some significant highlights of OBE programme are as follow:
- The clientele for Open Basic Education (OBE) program is –
- Children below 14 years of age
- Adults above 14 years of age
- The OBE Programme is offered at three levels –
- OBE level A: equivalent to class 1st-3rd
- OBE level B: equivalent to class 4th-5th
- OBE level C: equivalent to class 6th-8th
Vocational Education –
Vocational Education and Training (VET) is an important element of the nation’s education initiative. One of the objectives of the Vocational Education Program of NIOS is to meet the need for skilled and middle-level manpower for the growing sectors of economy, both organized and unorganized.
D.El.Ed. (Diploma in Elementary Education) –
Diploma in Elementary Education (D.El.Ed) program is a specifically designed package for in-service untrained teachers working in primary/ upper primary schools of different states of the country. The program has been developed by the Academic Department, NIOS on the initiative of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Govt. of India, keeping in view the NCF 2005, RTE 2009 and NCFTE 2010. This program aims at enabling the target group to develop in them skills, competencies, attitudes and understanding to make teaching and learning more effective.
| Course | Subject |
|---|---|
| 501 | Elementary Education in India: A Socio-Cultural Perspective) |
| 502 | Pedagogic process in Elementary Schools |
| 503 | Learning Language at Elementary Level |
| 504 | Learning Mathematics at Elementary Level |
| 505 | Learning Environmental Studies(EVS) at Primary Level |
| 506 | Understanding Children in Inclusive Context |
| 507 | Community & Elementary Education |
| 508 | Art, Health &b Physical and Work Education at Elementary Level |
| 509 | Learning Social Science at Upper Primary Level |
| 510 | Learning Science at Upper Primary Level |
NIOS Scheme of Studies
The Scheme of Studies for the Secondary and the Senior Secondary Courses is shown below. For obtaining a Pass Certificate, a learner is required to pass in a minimum of five subjects including one or a maximum of two languages from Group ‘A’ and the other three or four subjects from Group ‘B’. However, a learner is free to take up to two additional subjects and thus can choose a maximum of seven subjects.
| Course | Subject Offered | Scheme of Studies |
|---|---|---|
| Secondary | Group-A Hindi(201), English(202), Bengali(203), Marathi(204), Telugu(205), Urdu(206), Gujarati(207), Kannada(208), Sanskrit(209), Punjabi(210), Assamese (228),Nepali(231), Malayalam(232), Odia(233), Arabic (235),Persian (236), Tamil (237), Sindhi (238 Group-B *Mathematics(211),*Science and Technology(212), Social Science(213), Economics(214), Business Studies(215), *Home Science(216), *Data Entry Operation(E)(229), Psychology (222), Indian Culture & Heritage (223), *Painting (225),*Data Entry Operations (229), Accountacy (224),*Hindustani Music (242),*Carnatic Sangeet(243) Indian Knowledge Tradition ##Veda Adhyan (245), #Sanskrit Vyakaran (246), #Bharatiya Darshan (247), #Sanskrit Sahitya (248 | 1. Five Subjects with atleast one language or atmost two languages. 2. Minimum of five subjects. 3. Two additional subject can also be taken. 4. The Learners are however advised to select the subjects as per their future plan of study and work. 5. Minimum one and Maximum two language subjects from group A are permissible for certification. However, third language can be offered as an additional subject. |
| Senior Secondary | Group-A Hindi(301), English(302), Bangla (303), Tamil (304), Odia (305), Urdu(306), Gujarati (307), Sanskrit (309), Punjabi (310) Group-B Mathematics(311), *Home Science(321), Psychology(328), *Geography(316), Economics(318), Business Studies(319), *Painting (332), *Data entry Operation(336) Group-C *Physics(312), History(315), *Library and Information Sc.(339), Group-D * Chemistry(313), Political Science(317),*Mass Communication (335) Group-E *Biology(314), Accountancy(320),*Introduction to Law (338), Group-F *Computer Science(330), Sociology(331), *Environmental Science (333) A learner can opt only one subject from each of Group C, D, E and F |
GROUP A
| S.NO | Code | Subject |
| 1 | 201 | Hindi |
| 2 | 202 | English |
| 3 | 206 | Urdu |
| 4 | 209 | Sanskrit |
| 5 | 203 | Bengali |
| 6 | 204 | Marathi |
| 7 | 205 | Telugu |
| 8 | 207 | Gujarati |
| 9 | 208 | Kannada |
| 10 | 210 | Punjabi |
| 11 | 228 | Assamese |
| 12 | 231 | Nepali |
| 13 | 232 | Malayalam |
| 14 | 233 | Odia |
| 15 | 235 | Arabic |
| 16 | 236 | Persian |
| 17 | 237 | Tamil |
| 18 | 238 | Sindhi |
GROUP B
| S.NO | Code | Subject |
| 1 | 211 | Mathematics |
| 2 | 212 | Science & Technology |
| 3 | 213 | Social Science |
| 4 | 214 | Economics |
| 5 | 215 | Business Studies |
| 6 | 216 | Home Science |
| 7 | 222 | Psychology |
| 8 | 223 | Indian Culture and Heritage |
| 9 | 224 | Accountancy |
| 10 | 225 | Painting |
| 11 | 229 | Data Entry Operation |
| 12 | 242 | Hindustani Music |
| 13 | 243 | Carnatic Sangeet |
| 14 | 245 | Veda Adhyan # |
| 15 | 246 | Sanskrit Vyakaran # |
| 16 | 247 | Bharatiya Darshan # |
| 17 | 248 | Sanskrit Sahitya # |
NIOS Regional Centres
The NIOS has 23 Regional Centres. The list of these NIOS Regional Centres is given below in the pdf.
NIOS Contact Details
Name: National Institute of Open Schooling
Location: A-24/25, Institutional Area, Sector – 62, Noida, Gautam Budh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, India – 201 309
Phone No.: 0120-2403175
Fax: 0120-2403172
E-mail: secretary@nios.ac.in
Official Website: nios.ac.in
