The School and Mass Education Department on Friday entered into an agreement with the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) to improve secondary and senior secondary levels learning and teachers’ training.
Main objective of the MoU is to strengthen distance learning at the secondary and senior secondary levels in the State and to implement programmes so that goals of Sarva Siksha Abhiyan and Right to Education are achieved.
NIOS will also come up with modules under which the dropouts at these two levels will get an opportunity to enhance their qualifications to become employable.
The MoU lays thrust on enhancing the academic qualification of the in-service untrained elementary teachers to improve their qualifications up to Plus Two level. At least 2,000 untrained teachers will undergo academic training so that they become eligible for training as per requirement under RTE.
The NIOS will also provide face-to-face support to the learners in addition to providing printed self-learning materials. It will also evaluate, assess and award necessary certificate to the enrolled students.
Additional Director (Planning) of OPEPA Hrudaya Ranjan Satapathy and Director of State Council for Education Research and Training Prof NR Patnaik and Secretary of NIOS UN Khaware signed the MoU in the presence of School and Mass Education Commissioner-cum-Secretary Usha Padhee and NIOS Chairman Dr Sintasu Jena.