Those who fail to clear Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) or second year Pre-University (PU) courses need not worry about losing an year, if a proposal submitted by the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) is accepted by the authorities concerned.
The NIOS has proposed that failed candidates can take examinations whenever they want and continue their education. The proposal to the Karnataka Secondary Education and Examination Board (KSEEB) and Pre-University Education Department (PUE) has requested them to adopt the Transfer of Credit (TOC) system, where a candidate can write exams for three subjects under an ‘on demand’ examination system.
So, if a candidate passes two subjects in SSLC or PUC, the remaining subjects can be transferred to NIOS. Under the TOC, the parent board must transfer the entire records of the candidate to NIOS. The final marks card will have the marks scored in the two subjects passed, along with those in the NIOS papers.
“In formal boards, candidates need to wait for almost eight months for another examination conducted by the board concerned. NIOS provides more opportunities in terms of conduct of exam twice a year. (April and October). On Demand Exams will be conducted through the year except during in April and October. Candidates can appear in three or more subjects,” said S Chandrasekhar, NIOS regional director.
Sources in PUE and KSEEB are positive about the proposal. “Why should we say no when the proposed system helps our students? We are forwarding the idea to the government. Once we get an approval, we will sign the MOU with NIOS,” said a senior official of KSEEB.
The Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE) and Indian Council for Secondary Education (ICSE) have already implemented the TOC system, while other state boards have also accepted it. As NIOS is a Central Government institution, the marks cards/certificate issued by it will be considered in all levels, including admission to undergraduate professional courses through Common Entrance Test (CET) and other competitive exams.
Chandrasekhar also added that the proposal which they have submitted will also help decrease dropout rates. “TOC will avoid stress on students and it will also be an advantage to them,” he mentioned.