Jagdish the auto driver

Jagdish came to us early in the morning in an auto on 6th December. He was dressed in neatly washed khaki shirt and pants with an identification card pinned to his shirt. He looked young and wore a tepid smile. ‘Good morning’ he said to us in Hindi, ‘Meine suna hai ki aap Telangana Open School Society intermediate ke liye admission ke bare mein advise dethe hain?’. We nodded and asked the young man to sit down. We discussed at length about the subject streams and what he would like to do. He said that he planned to do a B.Com. But he had not completed his 12th (Intermediate) due to personal issues.

Minimum age for writing TOSS Intermediate exam

He was worried that his age (30 years) would be a barrier for entry. We explained that TOSS intermediate examinations only had a minimum age of 15 and no maximum age. Hence even his grandfather could write, pass and earn a government approved certification for 10th (Telangana Open School Society SSC) or 12th (TOSS Intermediate). Hearing this, he smiled and said, ‘Sir, I would like to enter the commerce stream, but I have only one problem, I don’t know English well’. We assured him that not knowing English was not a barrier to entry for TOSS Intermediate course. He could write the TOSS intermediate exams in Telugu, Hindi or Urdu medium.

‘Which area are you from Jagdish?’, we asked. He replied that he was staying in Mallapur. ‘Do you have your original SSC certificate, Aadhar and any caste certificate?’, we asked. He said that he has his SSC certificate and Aadhar but no caste certificate. We told him that he would have to fill in the application online on the TOSS official website. And, upload the required documents with his photograph and specimen signature. Then he would have to take a printout of the filled in application form. While filling in the application form he should also choose a study centre convenient for him to attend the contact classes.

Study centres for contact classes and assignments

‘Study centre? Contact classes? What are these?’, he asked. We said that the Telangana State Government authorizes as study centres (accredited institutions) specified schools and junior colleges. Contact classes are held in the study centres to help the TOSS SSC and Intermediate students to clarify doubts with teachers about the subjects in the courses. At the study centre the student is also asked to submit 3 TMA’s (Tutored Marked Assignments) in each subject. Attendance is mandatory for the contact classes. These classes are generally held on Saturdays and Sundays at timings convenient for people who work.

Online submission of application form

‘Can you help me with the application form sir?’ he asked. ‘Yes, we can help you provided you get the documents’ we replied. ‘Also, can I submit the assignments in Telugu?’, ‘Of course you can’ we told him.

He came three to four days later with the documents. We helped him submit the application. While filling out the application form we helped him choose the study centre convenient for him near his residence in Mallapur. We gave him the printout of the application form and asked him to submit it at the study centre where he will get his hall ticket a month or so before the exams.

We wish him all the best for his efforts to enter the B.Com degree course by passing the Intermediate exam of the Telangana Open School Society.