The regional office of the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) and Samagra Shikshana Karnataka (SSK) will work with Out-of-School Children (OoSC) from July to bring them back to classrooms through the NIOS Mitra programme.

NIOS Mitra is a technology-enabled community outreach initiative launched by the Ministry of Education to identify, counsel and enrol OoSCs into the formal education system, particularly those in the 14-18 age group. This is done through trained facilitators, or mitras, who help with the enrolment process and provide guidance throughout the academic year until the students appear for examinations.

Vulnerable groups in focus

The programme focuses on vulnerable and disadvantaged groups, including children with disabilities, tribal children, child labourers and girls affected by early marriage. The latest Periodic Labour Force Survey estimates of the National Statistical Office indicate that more than two crore children in the 14-18 age group are currently out of school across India.

Ten districts in nine States — Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi and Gujarat — have been selected for the pilot implementation of the NIOS Mitra programme. Yadgir is the district chosen from Karnataka.

A door-to-door survey conducted recently by the Education Department in Yadgir found that 1,747 children in the 14-18 age group are out of school.

Multiple reasons

A senior official from Samagra Shikshana Karnataka said, “These children are out of school for various reasons. Girls mainly drop out because of underage marriage. At times, when parents cannot afford to send two children to school, they ask one child to stay at home. Some drop out to work in the fields. Besides, when parents step out for work, the eldest child stays home to take care of younger siblings.”

V. Swaminathan, regional director, NIOS, Bengaluru, said that awareness campaigns would be conducted in different villages of Yadgir district by the end of June.

Accredited centres

Mr. Swaminathan explained that three government schools in Yadgir have been designated as NIOS Accredited Institutions (AIs), which will serve as centres where students can access study materials, apply for examinations and avail themselves of other academic support services.

The programme will be implemented in collaboration with the Minority Welfare Department, Waqf Board and Madrasa Boards to identify Out-of-School Children (OoSCs) from minority communities. In coordination with the Department of Women and Child Development and the Health Department, OoSCs will also be identified through Anganwadi surveys and health camps.

Issues such as child labour, migration and early marriage will be addressed through the Child Welfare Committee and Childline 1098.

Registration

Mr. Swaminathan said that NIOS provides two admission windows. Registration for students is open from March 16 to July 31 and from September 16 to January 31.

“For the first year of admission, the Ministry of Education will provide ₹2,000 per child, which includes examination fees, book costs and other expenses. From the following year, students will have to bear the admission expenses themselves,” he said.

These children will also be linked to skill development programmes under various Union government schemes.