A number of students who appeared for the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) board examinations in October were declared 'failed' despite having successfully passed all five subjects. The students attribute this outcome to the sudden reclassification of two academic subjects—Data Entry Operations and Entrepreneurship—under the vocational category for secondary-level students, leading to significant confusion.
While this change was mentioned in a single line within the prospectus, many students and parents claim they were unaware of the modification, as it was not clearly reflected in the examination application process. During the form-filling procedure, Data Entry Operations and Entrepreneurship were listed as academic subjects, leading students to believe they were making valid academic subject selections.
Students must pass four academic subjects and one vocational subject to be deemed successful in the NIOS board examinations. Since Data Entry Operations and Entrepreneurship are now categorised as vocational subjects, several students did not meet the requirement of four academic subjects and were consequently marked as having failed the examination.
An educational coordinator assisting students with NIOS examinations said “Students were required to submit assignments for these subjects, a requirement typically associated with academic subjects rather than vocational ones. This made them think they were attempting academic subjects.”
The educational coordinator emphasised that the system should have provided a notification and alerted about the revised subject categories at the time of registration. Additionally, as the software had not been updated to reflect these changes, students were still able to select Data Entry Operations and Entrepreneurship as academic subjects. Given these circumstances, the coordinator suggested that the board should continue recognising these subjects as academic options for this year and implement the necessary updates for future cohorts.
Concerned parents have now urged the NIOS to reconsider the classification of these two subjects for this academic year, allowing them to remain within the academic category. An NIOS official affirmed that the issue would be resolved in a manner that ensures no student is placed at a disadvantage.
