Four students who dropped out of mainstream schooling and completed their education through the National Institute of Open Schooling have since graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras. One of them was a first-generation learner.
They were placed in top IT firms, says Gayathri Baskar, a Thoraipakkam-based NIOS consultant, who has so far trained 500 students. “Only 20% of them had disabilities. Students dropped out of mainstream schools for various reasons such as bullying, unable to cope with mathematics or languages or disability,” she explained. Despite such role models, she says awareness about NIOS is low in the State.
The School Education Department issued a circular in 2009 that only students who complete education under the 10+2+3 system would be eligible for appointment to government jobs.
