The National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) formerly known as National Open School (NOS) was established in November,1989 as an autonomous organisation in pursuance of National Policy on Education 1986 by the Ministry of Human Resource Development(MHRD), Government of India. NIOS is providing a number of Vocational, Life Enrichment and community oriented courses besides General and Academic Courses at Secondary and Senior Secondary level. It also offers Elementary level Courses through its Open Basic Education Programmes (OBE).Government of India through a gazette notification vested NIOS with the authority to examine and certify learners registered with it upto pre degree level courses.

Vision
The National Institute of Open Schooling, with international recognition and presence, provides access to sustainable and learner-centric quality school education, skill upgradation and training through open and distance learning and ensures convergence of open schooling organizations, resulting in an inclusive learning society, human resource development, national integration and global understanding.

Mission

1. Promotes a system of open learning for providing quality education which results in a dynamic inclusive learning society.

2. Provides a dynamic flexible system of open schooling for development of a knowledge society.

3. Acts as a national resource centre to set a proactive role model for learner centric open and distance learning system at school education stage.

4. Develops professional support network using current technologies.

5. Provides education and training for skill upgradation and lifelong learning for all.

6. Provides need based Vocational Education for making the students entrepreneurs and not simply job seekers.

7. Establishes action oriented research for strengthening the Open and Distance Learning System at school level.

8. Achieves excellence in matters such as quality of learning material, student support services, system of assessment and professional development of staff.

9. Identifies and reaches out to prioritised client groups viz., school drop-outs and marginalized groups such as rural youth, urban poor, girls and women, scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, backward classes, minorities, differently abled and ex-servicemen to universalize education.

10. Promotes national integration and integrated development of people.

11. Strives for promotion of open schooling at national and global level through advocacy and consultancy programmes, by providing forum for exchange of ideas and information, and capacity building of open schooling functionaries by way of training and attachment programmes.

12. Undertakes continuous self-assessment and self-improvement for systemic improvement.