EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMES
 

For Academic, Vocational and General Education

1. Foundation or basic Education Course

This Course roughly corresponds to the upper primary level of education or Classes VI-VIII. From the beginning, there was provision for a Bridge Course, which would enable one to move on the Secondary, after completing the course. The course offered a real second chance to the many who had dropped out from school and were away for several years. About 20-25% of the new registrations, each year, represented this group. Courses offered were in Languages (Hindi and English) Mathematics, Science and Social Science.

Since the majority of the people of India have not had this level of education, and since a basic minimum of knowledge, skills, and values and attitudes are essential for meaningfully and effectively coping with the many demands of life, in concrete situations, thereby enhancing their quality of life and the life of the community, this is an important area for provision by the NOS. There is an International call and support from several agencies such as UNICEF, UNDP, UNESCO and the WORLD BANK, for provision of such a basic education for ALL.

Currently, the existing Bridge Course is under revision as a Foundation or Basic Course. The course is being designed as a functional course, and without the prevalent over-emphasis on mere acquisition of knowledge of facts and data and concepts, without the ability to understand or apply in real life situations. Approaches such as a case study or making a situational statement or posing a problem or presenting an episode as the starting point for introducing a topic or a set of concepts, would bring greater relevance and functionality to the course.

2. Secondary Level Course

The majority of the students opt for this level of courses, mainly for very practical reasons. A job often calls for a Secondary School Certificate, as an essential condition or the opportunity to continue education, which had stopped some years earlier. For instance, several thousand teachers in the primary classes in Sikkim availed of the Secondary Certification course and became Matriculates, enhancing their life opportunities, becoming eligible for higher education and getting regular appointments etc.

Currently, the Secondary level courses are also under revision, since these courses were introduced almost a decade ago. Presently, the subjects offered are: Hindi, English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Commerce, Economics, Home Science and Typing (Hindi and English). Like the revision of the Foundation Course, the revision will introduce a qualitatively different course, while maintaining and improving the educational standard. A substantial reduction in content, that does not contribute to quality, is planned, upto 30-40%. In its place, a much larger scale application to real life situations is planned, as part of the curriculum and of assessment, than as an extra. For the Language courses, 25% of the weightage, in terms of curriculum and evaluation, will be for listening comprehension and speaking ability. Projects, as an integral part of the curriculum and hence of evaluation, is another feature.

3. Senior Secondary Level Course

Introduced in 1989, it has offered opportunities for several thousands to continue their education, after the Secondary Certificate, through the Open Channel. The full range of subjects are offered, in the areas of Science, Commerce and Humanities. The present provision of subjects includes the following:

         
             Hindi                    English             Mathematics
             
             Biology                  Chemistry           Physics
             
             Home Science             Commerce            Accountancy
             
             Economics                Political Science   History
        
             Geography                Typing              Stenography
             
             Secretarial Practice
        
                                          

Both as principle and also enabling the students to join higher level courses at the tertiary stage, in formal Universities as well, the standards of the courses are kept the same as those in other Boards of Education, at this stage. While maintaining equivalence, NOS has also introduced certain distinctive features. For example, the language course offers four modules as language for special purposes enabling the student to choose the one best suited. Similar provisions have also been made in Mathematics and Commerce.

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Such innovations are part of an on-going process. Besides, modularisation is the direction in which NOS would move, which is necessary for purposes of continuous evaluation, including Internal Assessment.

4. Community Education

Small beginning is being made into provision of community and general education. Currently two projects are being developed by an agency, one on Community Health Education and the other on the Status of Women. Both packages will use the distance education as the basic medium, with supplementary face to face interaction.

5. Vocational Education

Explorations are also underway for providing practical Vocational Courses, both for the urban and for the rural population. Again, this is being got done by agencies than from within NOS. In fact, as a principle, NOS would get done what others can do as well or better and would only accredit courses thus developed after technically examining them.

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" It Is natural for man to desire to know."

Aristotle, 323 BC

"Open learning is an Imprecise phrase to which a range of meanings can be, and is, attached. It eludes definition. But as an inscription to be carried in procession on a banner, gathering adherents and enthusiasms, It has great potential. For Its very Imprecision enables It to accommodate many different Ideas and alms and the two terms of the phrase carry with them emotional overtones that evoked a wide response in the 1950's and 1960's, when It came into use, particularly at the later secondary and post-secondary levels. "

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