New Delhi [India], May 16 (ANI): The Ministry of Education on Saturday held a high-level meeting under the chairmanship of Department of School Education & Literacy (DoSEL) Secretary Sanjay Kumar to review strategies for mainstreaming out-of-school children through a new initiative involving the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), states and district administrations.

According to a press release issued by the Education Ministry, during the meeting, Sanjay Kumar highlighted concerns over school dropouts, stating that out of every 100 children entering Class I, only 62 reach Class XII. He further said that, according to the latest PLFS estimates, over two crore children in the 14-18 age group are currently out of school, PIB said in a release.

The Secretary said economic compulsions, domestic responsibilities and livelihood-related challenges are major reasons behind children dropping out of the education system. He stressed that every child should have access to education up to the secondary and senior secondary levels, along with employable skills linked to local economic opportunities.

He further said that while efforts should focus on reintegrating children into formal schools, those unable to return should be connected with flexible learning pathways through NIOS and State Open Schools using Open and Distance Learning mechanisms.

Joint Secretary, DoSEL, Prachi Pandey, said the issue of out-of-school children is being addressed in mission mode with a data-driven approach and strong emphasis on last-mile outreach.

NIOS chairperson Akhilesh Mishra described the initiative as a people's movement for educational inclusion aimed at reconnecting children and youth with learning opportunities through flexible educational pathways.

NIOS Secretary Shakeel Ahmad presented the operational framework of the initiative, including identification of out-of-school children, deployment of NIOS facilitators, app-based monitoring systems and phased implementation plans.

The Ministry informed that pilot districts with high concentrations of out-of-school children have been identified in Odisha, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi. In the first phase, the initiative will be implemented in 10 districts across the country.

The meeting concluded with participating states and district administrations assuring full cooperation to ensure that no child remains outside the education system. (ANI)