The Directorate of Education (DoE) has issued a directive to the government schools to ensure that students who have failed Class IX twice are enrolled in the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) for the academic session 2024-25. According to the Computer Cell (DoE), 17,308 students have been declared unsuccessful in Class IX for the second time during the 2023-24 session, PTI reported.

However, only 6,200 of these students are currently in the process of enrollment through the NIOS portal of the DoE. The initiative seeks to address the high risk of dropout among these students.

As the circular states, it has been observed that students who have failed twice are at risk of discontinuing their education. Ensuring they receive the necessary support and counselling, the heads of government schools are now mandated to counsel the students and their parents, emphasising the importance of continuing education through the NIOS.

This approach allows the students to study at their own pace and choose subjects of interest, with the ultimate goal of reintegrating them into their parent schools upon successful completion of Class X.

The directive has received the prior approval of the competent authority and underscores the commitment of the Directorate of Education to support all students in achieving their educational goals, as per the circular, PTI reported.