and other learning materials developed by the Council have helped in bringing about quality
      schooling. NCERT has received recognition both at national and international levels in the area
      of school education owing to its work done in the last 50 years. It is a unique institution in the
      country, conducting researches, preparing skilled educational professionals and developing
      curriculum and curricular materials. The major constituent units of the NCERT are: National
      Institute of Education (NIE), New Delhi; Central Institute of Education Technology (CIET),
      New Delhi; Pandit Sunder Lal Sharma Central Institute of Vocational Education (PSSCIVE),
      Bhopal; five regional institutes of education (RIEs) at Ajmer, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Mysore and
      Umiam (Meghalaya).
      National Bal Bhavan
            National Bal Bhavan (NBB), established in 1956, is an autonomous institution funded by
      the Ministry of Human Resource Development. Bal Bhavan as a movement is spread across the
      length and breadth of the country with 134 affiliated Bal Bhavans and Bal Kendras. In addition
      there are 48 Bal Bhavan Kendras and a Bal Bhavan at Mandi village in Delhi. National Bal
      Bhavan aims at enhancing the creative potential of children by providing them various activities,
      opportunities and common platform to interact, experiment, create and perform according to
      their age, aptitude and ability. It offers a barrier-free environment with immense possibilities of
      innovation without any stress or strain. Various creative activities are conducted for children
      specially from the deprived sections of society on a regular basis at NBB and its affiliated
      institutes.
      Central Board of Secondary Education
            The Central Board of Secondary Education is a Board of Education for public and private
      schools, under the Union Government. Central Board of Secondary Education has asked all
      schools affiliated to follow only NCERT curriculum.
      National Institute of Open Schooling
            National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) is “Open School” to cater to the needs of a
      heterogeneous group of learners up to pre-degree level. It was started as a project with in-built
      flexibilities by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) in 1979. In 1986, the National
      Policy on Education suggested strengthening of Open School System for extending open
      learning facilities in a phased manner at secondary level all over the country as an independent
      system with its own curriculum and examination leading to certification. Consequently, the
      Ministry of Human Resource Development set up the National Open School (NOS) in 1989. In
      July 2002, the Ministry amended the nomenclature of the organisation from the National Open
      School to the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) with a mission to provide relevant
      continuing education at school stage, up to pre-degree level through open learning system to
      prioritized client groups as an alternative to formal system, in pursuance of the normative
      national policy documents and in response to the need assessments of the people, and through it
      to make its share of contribution; to universalization of education; to greater equity and justice in
      society, and to the evolution of a learning society.
            The NIOS provides opportunities to interested learners by making available the following
      courses/programmes of study through open and distance learning (ODL) mode: Open Basic