STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES
The NOS provides student support services through a network of study centres known as accredited (AIs) for academic courses and accredited vocational institutions (AVIs) for vocational courses.
A three-tier system is envisaged with a Student Support Services Unit at the Headquarters, a few nodes in different regions in the country and field level support services for supervising the activities of the study centres and promoting a healthy relationship between NOS and the study centres in serving the students.
Accredited Institutions The accredited institutions carry out activities related to enrolment of students to various courses, of study material, conduct of Personal Contact Programmes, providing counselling and guidance services and assistance in the conduct of examinations and distribution of mark- sheets, certificates etc.
Accreditation of the study centres is done on rigorous screening of applications on the basis of prescribed criteria and inspection of the institution by a Committee of Experts.
The number of accredited institutions, both AIs, and AVIs, rose to 400 as on 31.3.95 from 345 only on 313.94. These included 357 AIs and 43 AVIs.
The AIs are located all over the country excepting in the union terri- tories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and lakshadweep. 31 study centres in West Bengal have been accredited for Bengali medium.
The AVIs are located in 16 states and UTs, namely Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chandigarh, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Rajasthan, Tamilnadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
State-wise distribution of AIs and AVIs is presented in Table 6.1 and Figures 6.1 and 6.2
Table 6.1: Statewise Distribution of AIs and AVIs
(As on 31-3-95)
State No. of AI No. of AVI
States
Andhra Pradesh 5 5
Arunachal Pradesh 8 -
Assam 1 -
Bihar 16 3
Goa 4 1
Gujarat 4 3
Haryana 24 1
Himachal Pradesh 19 -
Jammu & Kashmir 1 -
Karnataka 2 1
Kerala 4 2
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State No. of AI No. of AVI
Madhya Pradesh 11 2
Maharashtra 12 2
Manipur 5 -
Meghalaya 1 -
Mizoram 3 -
Nagaland 7 -
Orissa 2 2
Punjab 5 -
Rajasthan 16 3
Sikkim 6 -
Tamil Nadu 5 3
Tripura 1 -
Uttar Pradesh 37 6
West Bengal 67* 2
Union Territories
Andaman & Nicobar Island 2 -
Chandigarh 6 -
Dadra & Nagar Haveli - -
Daman & Diu 1 -
Delhi 80 6
Lakshadweep - -
Pondicherry 1 -
Through APO 1 -
Total 375 43
*including 31 AIs for Bengali medium.
The possibility of widening NOS network abroad by accrediting institutions as NOS study centres is being examined at the request of the Indians settled in some of the middle east countries.
The Principal/Vice-Principal/Seniormost teacher of the school works as the Coordinator of the NOS study centre. Core staff and teachers work on part-time basis.
The accredited institutions are paid block grant on pro rata basis of the enrolment of students for sharing their resources and rendering student support services including conduct of personal contact programmes.
As per norms, an Al should enrol a minimum of 50 students and a maximum of 500 students. It has, however, not been possible to enforce these norms so far. During the year, 21 AIs enrolled more than 500 students each and one AI enrolled as high as 2,897 students. On the other hand, 67 AIs; could register less than the minimum pre- scribed number of 50 students each.
The large concentration of students at an Al poses problems associated with the delivery of education to a large number of students and the maintenance of the quality of education On the other hand, poor enrolment at an Al creates problem of viability affecting the student support services. It is, therefore, proposed to enforce more strictly the maximum-minimum norms of enrolment by AIs.
The accredited institutions are by and large operating satisfactorily. The need for their closer supervision is, however, being increasingly felt.
Regional Centres To begin with, regional services will be rendered through six regional Offices Proposed to be set up, one each for Delhi, remaining northern states, eastern states, northeastern states, southern states and western states.
The regional centres would handle regional languages programme and will be responsible for the development, coordination and monitoring of student support services network in the region. Gradually, the regional centres would take over functions relating to admissions, staff development etc.
Pending establishment of regional centres on a regular basis, skeleton regional services on project basis 'were started during the year at Calcutta in eastern region. These are also being started in southern and western regions at Hyderabad and Pune for launching regional programmes in Telugu and Marathi respectively.
Project on Student Support Services An innovative experiment has been
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launched under the project on Student Support Services to supplement the efforts of regional offices by appointing field level academic facilitators, drawn from the area, on payment of fixed honorarium and conveyance charges to facilitate crucial student support services to a duster of 3 to 4 study centres. About 100 academic facilitators were identified during the year. Many of them are already in position rendering useful feed-back on student support services by the AIs visited by them.
A National Seminar on Facilitation was organised under the project to finalise the guidelines for supervision facilitation and feed-back.
Guidelines and other documents During the year, a number of documents including guidelines for Academic Facilitators and Inspection Teams for accreditation, fisted in Appendix I, were prepared by the Accreditation Unit and under the project on Student Support Services.
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