Gujarat board to set up study centres for external students

The centres, to come up at select schools this year, will conduct classes for external students and provide them study material

By Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Thursday, May 20, 2010 (http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20City§id=3&contentid=20100520201005200317052510c21aa7)

Here’s good news for teenagers who are not enrolled in schools, but plan to appear for the state board exams next year. The Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board will soon be setting up study centres for its external students at select schools in the state. The GHSHEB is opening a Gujarat Open School wing for this purpose. The centres, to cater to students appearing for class 10 and 12 board exams, are likely to start this year itself, sources said.

Students need to register at these study centres by paying a nominal amount as registration fee, sources said.

These centres will provide the external students with board exam preparation guide, books and required study materials. They will also have co-ordinators to solve students’ queries related to subject chapters. In addition to this, there will be counsellors too to help students prepare for the exam.

As many as 2.5 lakh external students appear for the board exam every year. Not many fare well because most of these students are busy working for a livelihood and do not get much preparation time. They get little help from schools since they are not enrolled there.

“If they have a query, they do not know whom to ask. They don’t even know how to prepare for the exam. Those undergoing formal school training have a clear idea about the plan of action. But external students are at a huge disadvantage. They do not even come to know when to fill the exam form and where to submit it,” a GHSHEB source said.

GHSHEB Chairma Dr Hasmukh Adhia said: “The plan of establishing study centres for external students is in its final stage.Those who cannot study in regular schools will benefit greatly. We will also have facilities like video conferencing for them where they can interact with a panel of teachers on a regular basis. With the help of the satellite communication network of Bhaskaracharya Institute for Space Applications and Geo Informatics, we also plan to conduct classes for such students statewide.”