The National Institute of Open Schooling has to make it imperative to institute reforms in its examination process so that the integrity of the institution does not come under the radar, Union Minister of Education Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ said on Monday.
He made remarks at a review meeting with open school authorities. The meeting was also attended by School Education Secretary Anita Karwal.
“During the meeting, the minister discussed on strengthening the examination mechanism. He said if we found some irregularities within the institution, we should take tough action against the culprit. He directed the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) officials that if they received any complaint against NIOS examination centres, they should resolve the complaint as soon as possible,” the Ministry of Education (MOE) said in a statement.
“The minister also directed the NIOS officials to reform the examination process so that no one can question the integrity of the prestigious institution. It was suggested that a dashboard must be created containing detailed information and contacts of all centres across the country.”
“It will have all the information and suggestions from stakeholders so that transparency will be increased in the system,” it said.
During the meeting, suggestions were given about drafting NIOS syllabus on the lines of NCERT so that students can grasp better understanding of the subject.
“The minister also reviewed the work of NIOS during COVID-19 crisis. NIOS officials briefed him that they are running four channels for their students, out of which, two are dedicated for secondary and higher secondary level.”
The NIOS officials also informed that they are now providing six hours of relatively fresh content daily to their students, including weekends, which were only for two hours before the COVID-19 crisis, the statement added.