Record high: K’taka sees 120% surge in NIOS enrolment

Record high: K’taka sees 120% surge in NIOS enrolment

 SruthySusan.Ullas@timesofindia.com 02.11.2025

Bengaluru : The National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) has recorded an unprecedented surge in enrolments for class 10 and 12 exams in Karnataka, with numbers increasing by 120% compared to last year. For the April 2025-26 session, 10,100 students have registered compared to 4,715 during 2024- 25. Historically, student participation has been lower, with 4,477 candidates in 2023-24 and 4,369 in 2022-23. 

During the Covid-affected year of 2021-22, as many as 5,566 students appeared for the exams. NIOS, which offers education up to the PU level through open and distance learning, conducts examinations twice a year—April and Oct. The last date for April exam applications was in Sept. According to NIOS officials, the sharp rise in enrollments this year is largely due to strategic collaborations with govt departments through several memorandums of understanding (MoUs). 

Swaminathan V, regional director of Bengaluru, said, “We have signed three MoUs with the Karnataka govt. One is with the department of minority welfare. Under this, over 5,172 students from madrasas have registered for the exams.” Jeelani H Mokashi, director of the department of minority welfare, added, “This is a 1.5-year programme conducted in over 100 madrasas across the state, providing training in English, Kannada, science, and maths alongside religious education. These students will now appear for the Class 10 exams in April.” Another MoU, with the rural development panchayati raj department, aims to leverage revamped gram panchayat libraries to support NIOS learners. “Students can choose six subjects in Kannada medium at the secondary level. Library staff will be trained to guide learners and provide hard copies of NIOS study materials,” said Swaminathan. Additionally, NIOS has partnered with Samagra Shikshana Karnataka to facilitate enrollment of out-ofschool children. 

The programme ensures that selected students receive structured education, including practical classes, examinations, and personnel contact programmes (PCP) conducted by qualified teachers at designated study centres. These initiatives reflect NIOS’s efforts to expand access to education for diverse student groups, particularly marginalized communities and those outside the formal schooling system. With the support of govt departments and targeted outreach programmes, NIOS is making distance learning a viable and inclusive option for students statewide. 02/11/2025, 08:12 Times of India ePaper bangalore - Read Toda

CBSE move to bar dummy school students from board exams may drive them to take NIOS route

CBSE move to bar dummy school students from board exams may drive them to take NIOS route 

Board is mulling the idea of amending examination byelaws with a recommendation to implement new rule from academic session 

Rajlakshmi.Ghosh@timesofindia.com 07,04.2025

The CBSE students who are not found attending regular schools will most likely be disallowed from appearing for class XII board exams. This was discussed at the recent CBSE Governing Board meeting, with a recommendation that the new rule be implemented from the academic session 2025-2026. In such a scenario, students admitted to dummy schools that do not mandate 75% attendance requirements will have to bear the brunt. 

Academics feel that the proposed rule will raise awareness of the rising menace of dummy schools and their long-term drawbacks, including gaps in conceptual learning and skill development. As part of its ongoing crackdown on dummy schools, CBSE is also mulling the idea of amending the examination byelaws which will not permit such students to appear in the board exams.

 Eventually, they will have to take the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) exam to complete their class XII. Justifying the feasibility of the move, Pavnesh Kumar, former controller of Examinations, CBSE, while talking to Education Times, says, “As per the board’s examination byelaws, those candidates who do not complete 75% attendance will not be allowed to appear in the board exams. By default, it renders dummy school students ineligible for the board exam. 

The CBSE’s move will address the wide proliferation of dummy schools which is destabilising the schooling system.” 

False notion 

The wrong perception about dummy schools is that all students attending them crack competitive exams. “The truth is, only a minuscule percentage get selected to study at the IITs and NITs. The CBSE initiative, if implemented, will stop the exodus of students from regular schools, many of which run the risk of becoming dysfunctional institutions,” Kumar adds. Sudha Acharya, former chairperson, National Progressive Schools’ Conference (NPSC) and principal, ITL Public School, who has been vocal about the impact of dummy schools, says, “In dummy schools, children are deprived of interpersonal, social, leadership and life skills, essential to face life’s challenges. This may explain why the suicide rate among students is increasing at an alarming rate. In dummy schools, there is also no focus on career counselling, experiential and competency-based lear ning. Even if children qualify for competitive exams such as JEE, NEET, CLAT etc, they cannot excel in innovation, research and problem-solving skills which a normal school provides.” 

Data and details 

Defining the true character of dummy schools, Acharya explains, “CBSE has the Online Affiliated School Information System (OASIS) record which includes details of all its schools along with the strength of every class, number of sections and teachers’ information. Based on this repository, it is possible to identify dummy schools where the number of students enrolled in class XI-XII is proportionately high compared to its other classes. The schools also tend to maintain false record of attendance so that students sit for internal and board exams, but during school hours attend coaching classes.” 

Some students and parents might find CBSE’s new rule tough – especially those juggling school with intense competitive exam preparation. “But schools aren’t just exam factories; they are where students learn discipline, build lifelong friendships, and develop skills that matter far beyond test scores”, says Puneet Kothapa, president, Narayana Educational Institutions. Transition strategy As for NIOS with its flexible norms becoming a ‘fallback option’ for dummy school students, it is evident that independent learning can be challenging for students long accustomed to structured schooling, says Mannu Kapoor, principal, ODM Sapphire Global School, Ranchi.

 “While some families may explore NIOS as an option, the overall shift is unlikely to be substantial. Instead, parents may reconsider dummy schools and prioritise structured schooling to ensure their children meet the board’s eligibility criteria,” Kapoor adds.