On 16 May 2026, a high-level meeting was convened under the Chairmanship of Sanjay Kumar, Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy (‘DoSEL’), Ministry of Education, to deliberate upon the issue of out-of-school children, particularly between the age of 14 to 18, and to discuss the implementation strategy for the proposed new National Institute of Open Schooling (‘NIOS’) initiative. The meeting included key officials from the Ministry of Education, NIOS, State Governments, and pilot districts.
Issues/ Observations:
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The serious concern of school dropouts was highlighted by the Chairman where it was noticed that out of every 100 children entering Class I only 62 reached Class XII.
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It was further pointed out that according to the latest Periodic Labour Force Survey, over 2 crore children in the age group of 14 to 18 are currently out of school.
Reason contributing to children remaining outside school system:
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Economic compulsion;
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Domestic responsibility;
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Livelihood related challenges.
Solutions given in the meeting:
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Every child should have access to education at least up to the secondary and senior secondary levels, along with employable skills aligned with local economic opportunities.
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Primary focus should be on reintegrating children into formal schooling.
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Children that are unable to return to regular schools should be linked to flexible learning pathways, such as the National Institute of Open Schooling and State Open Schools, through Open and Distance Learning mechanisms.
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The role of District Collectors and district administrators plays a critical role in ensuring effective grassroots implementation and transforming the initiative into a nationwide campaign.
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The preparatory activities, including the enrolment of NIOS Facilitators, distribution of starter kits, preliminary surveys, and initial enrolment of children, would be undertaken prior to the formal launch of the initiative.
Pilot Districts:
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During the meeting, pilot districts from the following 9 States with high concentrations of out-of-school children were identified for the initial implementation of the initiative:
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Odisha;
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Maharashtra;
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Chhattisgarh;
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Bihar;
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Uttar Pradesh;
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Gujarat;
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Karnataka;
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Madhya Pradesh;
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Delhi.
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The Memorandum of Commitment will be signed with participating States to facilitate its implementation.
Conclusion:
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The meeting covered identification and categorization of out-of-school children, deployment of NIOS Facilitators, app-based mapping and monitoring systems, incentive mechanisms, district-level convergence strategies, and phased implementation plans.
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The issue of out-of-school children is being addressed in mission mode and highlighted that the proposed initiative would adopt a data-driven approach with a strong focus on last-mile outreach.
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This initiative is a people’s movement for educational inclusion aimed at reconnecting children and youth with learning opportunities through flexible and inclusive educational pathways.
[NIOS Initiative to Tackle Out-of-School Children (14—18): Key Outcomes of DoSEL Meeting, May 2026, dt. 16 May 2026]
