Odisha Open School opens it arms to everyone including dropouts

Malati Sethi, 46, and her 15-year-old son are preparing for their upcoming Class X exams. While Pappu will take his regular exams next year, Malati will be appearing for her exam under the State Institute of Open Schooling from Monday.

Almost 2,980 aspirants will appear for the 9-day test, and most of them are above 40 years of age. Odisha announced  Open schooling in the 2013-14 academic session and the State Institute of Open Schooling modelled, on lines of the National School of Open Schooling, eventually started functioning from the academic session 2014-15.

Currently, the State Institute of Open Schooling is regulated by the Board of Secondary Education, Odisha, however it is planned that subsequently it will have full autonomy. While school dropouts will get 9 attempts in 5 years to clear the matric exam, those who have passed Class VII and are also above 14 years of age can join and take personal classes at the study centres set up at 115 open schools in 7 districts across the state.

Ishwar Chanda Ojha, 51, another aspirant who will be taking the exam, is a peon in a government school. "I passed my Class IX but failed in X and always wanted to clear it, because it would give me the chance of a promotion or perhaps a pay hike. When I heard some of my cousins enrolling for this, I too registered," said Iswar, admitting he had kept it a secret from his family.

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Examination centers are set across 17 cities in Cuttack, Angul, Puri, Mayurbhanj, Ganjam, Kalahandi and Balangir districts. The aim of the open school initiative is to help students complete education till Class X and get them a high school certificate in distance mode through the institute.

"Due to several constraints, it is not possible for the formal schooling system in the state to bring all the dropouts into the fold. The institute aims to cater to the needs of a large number of adolescent and rural youth, working men and woman, SC ST, differently-abled persons and other disadvantaged people, who are unable to take advantage of formal secondary schooling within the stipulated school hours," said the institute's deputy director Radhamohan Panda.

Director of the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan Ratnakar Rout said the department was making all efforts to enrol as many students as possible.
"Admissions to these schools will be held twice a year – in January and July. The first batch of students, who enrolled in January this year, are appearing for the exams on April 11. Those who enrol in July will have their exams in November. We have asked all high schools to prepare a list of dropouts and try to follow up with them and their parents to convince them and get them back to school. A meeting on this is held at the study centres every month," he said.

Besides providing an opportunity for dropouts to enter the mainstream, the institute will also be equipped to provide training to tutors, academic facilitators, evaluators and lesson-writers. Over a period of time, it is envisaged that a wide spectrum of courses of study in general, vocational and continuing education and life enrichment courses at the secondary level will be provided through these centers.

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