Mumbai: A quiet rule change by the National Institute of Open Schooling has triggered sharp pushback from parents and educators, after Data Entry Operations (DOE) was downgraded from a core subject to a vocational course—compelling students to take on an additional theory-heavy paper to meet passing criteria.Under NIOS norms, students must clear five full-fledged theory subjects and one skill-based course. DOE, which equips students with practical digital skills such as Excel, PowerPoint and word processing, was earlier counted among the five core papers. Its reclassification now effectively increases the academic load, particularly for students who relied on it as a scoring and accessible subject.Richard D’souza, a parent, said the impact is immediate. “My son is a slow learner and needs a lot of motivation, but with a subject like DOE he is brilliant — he scored 94 out of 100. Now we will have to spend another six months preparing for and passing a theory subject,” he said.Gopika Yugaldhooth, parent of an intellectually disabled student, said the move contradicts the larger push towards skill-based education. “You are reducing vocational courses for the people who need them the most. Subjects like business studies and economics are too theory-heavy for my daughter. In today’s world, all I want is for my child to stand on her own feet and be independent,” she said.A special needs educator said the decision risks excluding students from essential, real-world learning. “Special needs students are very capable once they get into the rhythm of things. Reclassifying a subject like DOE deprives them of a vital life skill and burdens them further with another theoretical subject,” she said. The educator added over 50% of special needs students eventually find employment in the hospitality sector, “and even there, basic computer skills like Excel and digital operations are increasingly necessary”.Rajiv Kumar director of Academics for the NIOS board acknowledged the difficulty caused by the reclassification, “I will look into the matter and issue a clarification soon’.Parents also stressed the employment implications. Yugaldhooth said many special needs students are hired by NGOs, where functional digital literacy is often a prerequisite. “Even in the social sector, they are expected to know tools like Excel and PowerPoint,” she said, underlining the removal of DOE as a core subject weakens a critical pathway to employability.With education systems across the country emphasising vocational training and applied skills, critics argue that NIOS’s move runs counter to that direction — placing additional strain on students who can least afford it.
