Establishment of Bihar Board of Open Schooling & Examination (BBOSE)

An Innovation in ODL System at School Level ....

DINESH SINGH BIST, Advisor, State Planning Board.

Funded by : Human Resource Development Department, Govt of Bihar, Patna.

• Present Challenges for Schooling in Bihar
  
• Bihar Board of Open schooling and Examination (BBOSE)
  
• BBOSE: Immediate Benefits - Conservation of Resources of Bihar
  
• Advantages of BBOSE : Short Term
  
• Advantages of BBOSE : Long Term
  
• Conventional Advantages of Open Schooling
  
• BBOSE : the Missing Link in Bihar Educational System
  
• Bihar and BBOS – Many Firsts
  
• Required Interventions/ Support from Bihar Govt. for BBOSE
  

 

Present Challenges for Schooling in Bihar

1. To expand access to school education at all levels
2. To increase retention rates at all levels of schooling
3. To create educational opportunities for Special areas for BBOSE- marginalized groups- SCs, STs, EBCs, Minorities, Nomadic groups, riverine populations
4. To establish linkages with traditional education systems like Madarssa Boards, Sanskrit Vidyapeeths with mainstream education system with mobility across them and equivalence between them
5. To implement RTE effectively- tackle problems of 14+ out of elementary school, bridge courses for out of school 6-14 groups to enable their re-entry in age appropriate classes(as desired under RTE)
6. To promote market/ demand driven Vocational Courses in Bihar specific context for ensuring livelihood, employability and poverty eradication
7. To take forward the gains of SSA and put in place a system for achievement of goals of RMSA
8. To operationalize all this in the shortest time frame with least cost option .

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Bihar Board of Open schooling and Examination (BBOSE)

1. An Intervention by Govt. of Bihar : for “Inclusion” & “Mainstreaming” of Marginalized Socio-Religious Communities (SRCs), SC/ST, OBC, Muslims – Women/girls, rural youth, SCs, STs, Minorities and all disadvantaged sections of society and ensuring Access with Equity & Social Justice for All.
2. Least cost option, with fastest delivery system.

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BBOSE: Immediate Benefits - Conservation of Resources of Bihar

1. In Hunar Ph I (2008-09)Rs 2.65 crore was allocated , of which 20% (Rs 65 lakh) was given to NIOS for complete project implementation
2. In Hunar Ph II, total project cost likely to be Rs 10 crore with estimated enrollment of 50,000. However in Phase II NIOS has reduced its role and restricted itself to only providing academic inputs. All other tasks related to implementation are to be done by BEPC. Hunar Cell established for it.
3. Major conservation of resources if Hunar Special Cell is upgraded into nucleus of BBOSE with implementation cost of 20% ie Rs 2 crore being transferred to Hunar Special Cell instead of giving it to NIOs which has withdrawn itself totally from the implementation.

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Advantages of BBOSE : Short Term

1. BBOSE will provide opportunity for contractual appointment to over 200 people in state.
2. Six regional centres will be set up thus increasing BBOS penetration and providing local contractual employment at RC level .
3. BBOSE establishment will ensure synergy with formal schooling and effective and intensive utilization of existing resources in the form of Govt schools as Study Centres and teachers as facilitators for conduct of BBOS Personal contact Programmes(PCPs).

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Advantages of BBOSE : Long Term

1. Self reliant Bihar: Will eliminate dependence of Bihar for attainment of its educational goals upon NIOS/ Others. It will be able to provide tailor-made courses, teaching-learning and examination system that will be driven as per specific educational needs of Bihar population with examination schedule being decided as per convenience of Govt of Bihar – Present Phase II examinations can be held for 6 month courses in Oct 2010 by BBOSE .
2. First Open school in country with initial first year enrolment of 50,000+ students with goal of universal access, social justice with equity for all - with focus is on girls.
3. Special programmes to reach out to marginalized disadvantaged groups like SCs, STs, EBCs, Minorities, Nomadic groups, riverine populations.
4. Contributing to achievement of SSA through improved enrolment rates and retention through flexible schooling system for educationally deprived 14+ age group, with bridge courses to facilitate mainstreaming of such groups.
5. Supplementing the RTE by providing continuing education to 14+ through open schooling- safety net function.
6. Achieving goals of RMSA for expanding scope of secondary and senior secondary education and enhancing enrolment and retention rates at secondary/senior secondary levels.
7. Developing a graded structure of courses catering to all age groups – 0-6 for anganwadis (ECCE) workers, 6-14 for converging open schooling with face to face learning and Bridge courses under RTE, 14+ for continuing education at secondary level (RMSA ) and life enrichment courses.
8. Strengthening Vocational Education by introducing new trades to help in poverty alleviation through local market driven as well as home based Vocational Courses for girls/women as done in Project Hunar.
9. Introducing concept of ‘work in education’ by vocationalisation of education through convergence of academic competencies with skill training.
10. Catering to wide range of levels, both academic and vocational – Preprimary(ECCE), Basic education, Secondary, Senior secondary, Vocational education, Life enrichment – that would meet the needs of Bihar population.

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Conventional Advantages of Open Schooling

1. Expanded registration – reduction in dropout.
2. Freedom to learn- learnercentres system with flexible pace of learning.
3. Freedom of Choice of Subjects.
4. Credit Accumulation and Transfer of Credits.
5. Flexible system of examination – stress free with option of On Demand examination.
6. Teaching through Study centres operating at convenient times.
7. Use of ICT teaching support.
8. Ideal for those who cannot go to school for social, religious, cultural, medical, livelihood reasons.

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BBOSE : the Missing Link in Bihar Educational System

1. Many of the Schemes of the Central govt cater to funds allocated through Open Schooling- CABE committee has stated that 15% students should be covered through open schooling.
2. RMSA has provisions for promotion of Open Schooling in states- Bihar can avail these funding provisions by setting up an Open School.

3. Setting up of BBOSE as an equivalent system of school education will shatter the watertight compartmentalization of education and enable horizontal and vertical movements across systems. Equivalence with :

   • Formal Schooling will encourage flexibility in choice of subjects, pace of learning and frequency with of examination and draw in hitherto unreached groups;
   • Traditional Education systems like Madarssa Boards, Sanskrit Vidyapeeths will promote acceptance of uniform standards:
   • Vocational Education programmes will create better livelihood opportunities through acceptance of equivalence of skill trade with academic competencies.

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Bihar and BBOS – Many Firsts

1. Bihar would be First state in country to implement RTE through Open Schooling and set an example for the nation.
2. First Open School to use Open Learning philosophy with and without distance education by using extensive network of government schools, their teachers in ‘guided learning’ mode before and after school hours.
3. First State to seriously implement the recommendations of Sachar Committee by setting up an Open School that caters to educational needs of Minorities.
4. Bihar state as a promoter of concept of education at doorstep for helping girls education amongst SRCs – improving gender ratio by contemplating full fee waiver (instead of concession) to all BPC – girls/women for BBOSE courses (as has been done under Hunar).
5. Equivalence with other systems including traditional educational system will broaden the outreach of education across communities and social groups.
6. Bihar BBOSE model for replication in other states/ countries where there is need to reach out to unreached vulnerable groups.

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Required Interventions/ Support from Bihar Govt. for BBOSE

1. Issue of notification by Govt. of Bihar and registration of BBOSE under Society Act (all documents ready).

2. ‘15’ officers of Govt. –on deputation to BBOSE for ‘3’ years – their expenses to be borne by parent departments.

   • ‘5’ for academic side from Universities, SCERT, Boards etc.
   • ‘5’ for evaluation/examination side from Board of Secondary Education, Universities, etc.
   • ‘5’ for administrative side from BAS/BES etc.

3. One time capital grant of Rs 2 crores given either by Govt. of Bihar or from the head of Management cost in the budget of BEPC.
4. BBOSE can be operational w.e.f 15thJuly 2010 and can be inaugurated by Hon’ble CM.
5. BBOSE can also be named Maulana Azad Board of Open Schooling and Examination with first public examination for first batch of Hunar Phase II in Oct 2010 at the time of Assembly elections.

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