The Centre is preparing to roll out a pilot programme across 10 districts in nine States to proactively connect out-of-school children in the age group of 14-18 years with the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) for distance learning, moving beyond its existing voluntary framework.
A high-level meeting was convened on Saturday (May 17, 2026) under the chairmanship of Sanjay Kumar, Secretary, Department of School Education & Literacy (DoSEL) under the Ministry of Education, to discuss the implementation strategy for the pilot programmes. It was attended by top officials of NIOS and State Education Departments, as well as District Collectors and District Magistrates of the pilot districts.
According to the latest Periodic Labour Force Survey estimates, over two crore children in the 14–18 age group are currently out of school.
The 10 districts are spread across Odisha, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi, according to a press statement of the Union Education Ministry.
The initiative will include app-based mapping of out of school children in the age group of 14-18 years, monitoring systems, incentive mechanisms, district-level convergence strategies, said a press statement from the Ministry of Education.
Before the pilot programme is kicked off, officials will also ensure enrolment of NIOS Facilitators, distribution of starter kits, and preliminary surveys.
Published – May 17, 2026 02:24 am IST
