Message By C.M.
Dear Reader,
I am very happy to announce that TOSS has reached an important mile stone in its pursuit to reach out to the drop-outs of the main stream education by starting the SSC (TOSS) course in the year 2008-09. Now the time has come to leap ahead with introduction of Intermediate (TOSS) during this year 2010-11. On this momentous time my thoughts go to Ugadi day of 1991 when TOSS was started with a tiny step when founding fathers aimed at enhancing transition rate from Class V to Class VI by attracting drop-outs to Open School through Open and Distance mode of Learning. Subsequently, it has broadened it’s base: by adding neo-literates of Adult Education in the clientele and extending the course up to class IX. Thus, so far, it played supplementary and complementary role to the formal education. But, up scaling the scheme up to SSC level, which was the objective while starting the TOSS, was elusive till 2008-09 for some reason or other.
Well…. thanks to the Hon’ble Chief Minister Sri. Y.S. Rajsekar Reddy Garu and Hon’ble Minister for RVM, Sri. G. Hanmanth Rao Garu for extending full support, things started moving: SSC (TOSS) course has started this year with 58013 enrollment to begin with is no small achievement.
The usual response about the scheme is we don’t know about it; - of course, it’s a good scheme, but it needs publicity for the people to work. To counter such opinions, TOSS has decided to bring out a quarterly News letter to reach out to everybody i.e., learners, teachers, administrators, intellectuals and all stake holders TOSS intends to make it a forum to give vent to their feelings and exchange their ideas, Come on… open your minds to share your reservations with TOSS and likes of you, you may find solutions; dig up your brains and come with some creativity – it can be show cased here. I welcome you with your contributions.
Mention has to be made about the contributions of Dr. Garg, former Principal Secretary, RVM; in evolving the concept of restructured scheme of TOSS and Sri. J. C. Sharma, the Secretary, RVM; and Smt. Chandana Khan, Principal Secretary, RVM for giving shape to it.
Ultimately, to my learners: one of my Coordinators in his visit report wrote about the interaction with the learners, I quote it here – “they spoke about missed opportunities: one of the learner stated that he is working in veterinary department for last ten years on temporary basis; services of his colleague who joined service much later than him was regularized because that person has SSC qualification where as he was a drop-out of class V; the loss due to the lack of proper qualification has devastating effect on his life – now that he has another chance by joining SSC (TOSS) which he does not want to miss at any cost”. You have done a good job by enrolling in the SSC (TOSS) course; there is no sense in crying over the missed opportunities; opportunities keep coming and here is a second chance for you. Together let us march towards enlightenment, prosperity, knowledge society and a developed India.