Secondary School Leaving Certificate
The Secondary School Leaving Certificate (commonly referred to as SSLC) is a certification obtained by a student on successful completion of an examination at the end of study at the secondary schooling level in India. The SSLC is obtained on passing the grade 10 public examination, which is commonly referred to as 'class 10 board examinations' in India. SSLC is a common eligibility examination popular in many states in India, especially Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. Relevance. The Indian system of education fundamentally consists of five years of primary schooling, followed by five years of secondary  schooling. The SSLC must be obtained at the end of term of study at the secondary school. On obtaining this certificate, the student is deemed to have completed secondary schooling. After successful completion of SSLC, Students will further pursue their higher secondary education i.e Class 11th and Class 12th by either attending a Junior College or by continuing High School in one of three "streams" – Science, Commerce or Arts. After this students will pursue their undergraduate studies in desired universities of their choice. Alternatively, after obtaining the SSLC, a student may choose to attend an industrial training institute where one  can be trained in skills necessary for technical occupations. The other options include joining polytechnic for a three-year course of diploma in engineering and then further pursuing degree in engineering. After completing SSLC there is an option of joining vocational education courses. SSLC (or equivalent) is required nowadays to obtain a passport under Indian government for employment purposes. Importance. The SSLC certificate was used as the primary form of proof for date of birth during the time when registration of births and deaths was not mandatory in India. It is still a valid form of proof of date of  birth for those born before 1989 according to the MEA website for the Indian civil authorities to issue civil documents such as passports.