Aims and Objectives

India has made progress in terms of increasing primary education attendance rate and expanding literacy to approximately three-fourths of the population. India's improved education system is often cited as one of the main contributors to the economic rise of India. However, India continues to face stern challenges. Despite growing investment in education, 25% of its population is still illiterate; only 15% of the students reach high school, and just 7% graduate. The situation at senior/ higher secondary education is still disheartening. The quality of education is significantly poor as compared with major developing nations. It is also not possible for the government alone to create infrastructure for the growing number of students at secondary and senior secondary level. With a mission to provide relevant continuing education at school stage, up to pre-degree it is, therefore, important to open school with public-private partnership. The organization has been carrying out some research work also over the last 3-4 years. With the aim and objective of enhancing and accelerating the enrolment/ retention at secondary and senior/ secondary level, ‘Rural Institute of Open Schooling’ (RIOS) was conceived and has been set up as an autonomous registered body under the Societies Registration Act, with its registered office at Delhi with the following objectives:

To provide secondary and senior secondary education those belonging to disadvantaged groups (e.g. the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes, Socially and Educationally disadvantaged classes and other socially, culturally, economically, geographically sections of the society, or such other factors as may be specified/ notified by the appropriate Government) and people belonging to weaker sections who are not able to get secondary and senior secondary education in the normal course of life.

To provide professional services to the government and other agencies in the field of education, in general, and school education, in particular, for the development and growth of distance and open school system and develop appropriate curriculum for vocational and continuing education to prepare student population for the world of work.

To provide the best possible teaching/ learning environment to its students, so that they can serve the society effectively and with dignity individualized study with flexibility in terms of place and duration.

To identify educational needs of the children/persons of the State who are otherwise not catered to by the formal system of school education and to open study/academic centers.

To provide opportunities for school education up to pre-degree level through Open and Distance Learning (ODL) mode, to identify and promote standards of learning in Open and Distance Learning system.

To design and develop courses, self-instructional materials (SIM) and other learning support for the courses identified at different points of time, to organize orientation and training programmes for the functionaries of the open schooling system in the country, to evolve strategies for curriculum development, instructional procedures etc.;

To undertake and coordinate educational research and programmes on the suggestion of the State government(s) concerned etc.;

To establish contacts with international agencies in the field of education, specially school education, for keeping itself acquainted with the latest trends in curriculum development, material production, media use for dissemination etc, to establish links with other examining bodies with special focus on Asian countries;

To collaborate with other agencies within and outside the state for developing and delivering skill oriented courses of study, to promote and publicize open schooling programmes and activities in the country.

To maintain standards and equivalence with formal education system, while ensuring flexible characteristics of Open and Distance Learning System, to assist and advise the State Government in matters related to open schooling.

To serve as an agency for effective dissemination of information related to open learning and distance education and to discharge coordination and clearing house functions

To provide opportunities for continuing education to those who have missed opportunities to complete school and development education; and other children/persons desirous of pursuing school level education through Open and Distance Learning (ODL) mode by offering courses and programmes of general education, life enrichment and vocational education up to pre-degree level.

To provide secondary and senior secondary education those who are belonging to disadvantaged groups (e.g. the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes, Socially and Educationally backward classes and other groups having disadvantage owing to social, cultural, economic, geographical, linguistic, gender or such other factor as may be specified by the appropriate Government, notification) and the people belonging to weaker section are not able to get routine, secondary and senior secondary education.

To provide professional services to the government and other agencies in the field of education, in general, and school education, in particular, for the development and growth of distance and open school system and develop appropriate curriculum for vocational and continuing education to prepare student population for the world of work.

To establish linkages with contemporary education systems like State Boards, Sanskrit Boards, Madrasa Boards and state open boards with mainstream education system with mobility across them and equivalence between them;To expand access to school education at all levels and to increase retention rates at all levels of schooling.

To encourage, promote and conduct a system of Open School Education relevant to the students/ learners, to organize training programmes at national and international level on `open school’ system;

To promote interaction and co-ordination among open schools to make study of various subjects more purposeful and to effect a fusion between traditional and modern system of education;

To institute career oriented courses related to education through distance learning/ correspondence courses; to develop courses of education in various subjects.

To remove the obstacles for providing secondary and senior secondary education to the disadvantaged sections of the society and to bring disadvantaged groups in the fold of mainstream of secondary/ senior secondary education, to provide facilities for studies and research in Indian classical languages;

To develop as a centre of excellence in the field of teaching, training and research related to literature and allied branches of knowledge in various languages;

To establish/ affiliate schools for study of literature and allied branches of knowledge; to conduct examinations at secondary/senior secondary levels as per the guidelines laid down, to develop courses of instruction related to various languages and sciences up to Secondary/Higher Secondary level;

To prepare `database’ on open schooling and to conduct online and offline examination of secondary , senior secondary level in all over country and to announce the results of concerned examination and release certificates to passed candidates time to time;

To develop and conduct methodologies practicable to languages, including Sanskrit, with innovations; and to promote information education in various languages of the country, to provide hostels & residential accommodation that may be considered necessary for the student & for each member of the staff that may be made eligible for it;

To establish & maintain institution for the handicapped & for adult education, like vocational training in vocation of household industry, semi – skilled jobs for self-employment, short hand & type – writing, and social science, Languages, Fine arts. Crafts, music, painting, modeling, physical training etc.;

To organize educational and vocational training programme with special concern for deprived sections, women/girls and unemployment youth to provide new skills, refine/sharpen/up-grade the existing skills.

To open training camps and workshops for the development of arts, plays and culture and raise funds through subscriptions, donations, trade to fulfill the aims and objects, to publish books, encyclopedias, monographs and study materials;

To impart free education and cultural training to the poor, helpless, handicapped and needy children/students, to establish and maintain institutions for adult education with the consent of the concerned authorities;

To provide the best education available in some of the schools in India. Emphasis would be on character building, self-discipline& the development of the creative & social faculties. The society aims at producing well informed & well assured young children just king of children that our country needs.

To strive to meet changing need of providing comprehensive education to develop various facets of personality and to impart education to children on the most modern lines & provide an environment congenial to growth & development of the children, To arrange & organize the social, cultural & educational programmes from time to time.

To provide professional services to the government and other agencies in the field of education, in general, and school education, in particular, for the development and growth of distance and open school system and develop appropriate curriculum for vocational and continuing education to prepare student population for the world of work.

To provide the best possible teaching/ learning environment to its students, so that they can serve the society effectively and with dignity individualized study with flexibility in terms of place and duration.

To identify educational needs of the children/persons of the State who are otherwise not catered to by the formal system of school education and to open study/academic centers.

To provide opportunities for school education up to pre-degree level through Open and Distance Learning(ODL) mode, to identify and promote standards of learning in Open and Distance Learning system.

To provide professional services to the government and other agencies in the field of education, in general, and school education, in particular, for the development and growth of distance and open school system and develop appropriate curriculum for vocational and continuing education to prepare student population for the world of work.