School and mass education department signs MoU with National Institute of Open Schooling to train teachers through distant education. Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar, Jan. 18: The school and mass education department today signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) to help school dropouts between Class VI and X to complete their studies and make themselves eligible for employment.

The objective of the MoU is to strengthen distance learning at the secondary and senior secondary level in the state. This will help the department to achieve the goals of the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan.

The MoU will also provide an opportunity to enhance the academic qualification of the in-service untrained elementary teachers to improve their qualifications up to Plus Two level so as to make them eligible for training according to requirements under the Right to Education Act.The NIOS will provide one-on-one support to the learners in addition to providing them with printed self-learning materials. It will also evaluate, assess and award necessary certificates to the enrolled students.

“The collaboration would essentially help the dropouts at the secondary and higher secondary level to enhance their qualifications so as to make them eligible for employment opportunities,” said additional director planning of the Odisha Primary Education project authority H.R. Sathpathy, who signed the MoU on behalf of the department.

NIOS is the largest open schooling system in the world under the ministry of human resources and development with an approximate intake of 4 lakh students each year.