Centre to roll out pilot programme for linking out-of-school adolescents to open school

Going beyond its existing volunteer framework, the Center is preparing to implement a pilot program in 10 districts across nine States to proactively connect out-of-school children in the age group of 14-18 with the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) for distance learning.

A high-level meeting was held on Saturday, May 17, 2026, under the chairmanship of Sanjay Kumar, Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL), Ministry of Education, to discuss the implementation strategy of the pilot programmes. The meeting was attended by senior officials of NIOS and State Education Departments, as well as District Collectors and District Magistrates of the pilot districts.

According to the latest estimates of the Periodic Labor Force Survey, more than two crore children in the 14-18 age group are currently out of school.

According to the Union Education Ministry’s press release, the 10 districts are spread across Odisha, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi.

In the press release from the Ministry of National Education, it was stated that the initiative will include application-based mapping of out-of-school children in the 14-18 age group, monitoring systems, incentive mechanisms, and district-level convergence strategies.

Before the pilot program begins, authorities will also ensure registration of NIOS Facilitators, distribution of starter kits and preliminary surveys.