I
often answer many questions about the NIOS OBE program. It is quite sad that not many people are aware of this program, which is offered by the National Institute of Open Schooling. Though my daughter was enrolled with OBE Level B last year, I too had a lot of unanswered questions myself. This is when I decided to get in touch with some experts, who luckily have answered these questions for me.
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This is going to be a very long post, and I hope you find answers to most of the questions you have in mind. Let us begin!
What is NIOS OBE?
For those who are not aware, OBE or Open Basic Education is a program offered by NIOS. NIOS is an autonomous institution, which operates under the Ministry of HRD, the Government of India.
The OBE program was started with an aim to provide basic education to all kids, and youth in India. The OBE can be taken by children who are under the age of 14 years and by adults who are 14 years of age. In this blog post, I will focus on OBE for Kids Below 14 Years of Age.
The Main Objectives of this Program
- OBE acts as an alternative education program, which is equal to the formal education offered by other boards.
- To provide continuity of learning for school dropouts, or students who use an alternate education system (more like homeschooling).
- To provide quality, yet affordable education to all students of India, especially to girls, and students from disadvantaged groups.
- To provide quality education to kids with special needs.
What does the OBE program Offer?
The OBE program from NIOS is offered to students at three different levels.
Level A – This level is equivalent to Grade 3 of the school system
Level B – This level is equivalent to Grade 5 of the school system
Level C – This is the level, which is equivalent to Grade 8 of the school system
The Age Criteria
I have had many questions from parents who were unable to enroll for OBE or were not sure about the age eligibility. So, I tried my best to find out info about the same.
The Min Age for Admission into Level A as of 31st March (of the enrolling year) is 7+ Years
The Min Age for Admission into Level B as of 31st March (of the enrolling year) is 9+ Years
The Min Age for Admission into Level C as of 31st March (of the enrolling year) is 12+ Years
I have also attached the screenshot shared with me by a study center for reference.
How to Enroll and The Applicable Fees
Parents or students can now enroll for OBE by filling the admission form online. One can even approach a study center for the same. Do check out this video on finding a study center near you or how you can apply for the same.
Link to Apply – OBE ONLINE APPLICATION
The application charges that are applicable are as follows
Level A – Rs. 300 (Rs. Three Hundred)
Level B – Rs. 500 (Rs. Five Hundred)
Level C – Rs. 800 (Rs. Eight Hundred)
As per my understanding, the charges also include the examination fee. My daughter was enrolled for OBE Level B and all I paid was Rs. 500.
I hope to have answered most of the questions asked by parents about OBE. I am still doing my research on a few more unanswered questions I have, a few for which I need a little clarification. Will write about that in a separate post once I find the answers. J That post will include some facts, about the subjects and about the examination and the syllabus.
If you have any questions about the NIOS OBE Program, please do mention it in the comment section below. Will try and answer it to the best of my knowledge.
PS – These are the facts or the rules applicable to the NIOS OBE program today. There might be a change in the rules or the eligibility criteria anytime. So, request parents/students to have a word with the study center before proceeding with their application online.
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