NEW DELHI: In a major move to address the rising number of out-of-school children in Delhi, the city government has directed all schools under the Department of Education (DoE), Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Delhi Cantonment Board (DCB), and New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) to establish Special Admission Cells (SACs).
These dedicated cells will focus on enrolling children who have never been to school, including those with disabilities and those who dropped out due to socio-economic reasons.
Education officials have described the initiative as a “targeted rescue mission for education” aimed at reintegrating vulnerable students into the formal education system.
The SACs will be responsible for not only admitting these children but also for ensuring they remain in school, track their attendance, and support their academic progress.
Each SAC will be composed of the school’s head, the admission in-charge, a vocational guidance counselor or an expert with similar skills, and the Cluster Resource Centre Coordinator (CRCC), who will provide data on out-of-school children (OoSC). The goal is to simplify admission procedures, counsel parents and children, and address any barriers preventing enrollment.
“The idea is to not just admit them, but to track their attendance, support their learning, and ensure they don’t fall through the cracks again,” said a senior education department official.
Key responsibilities of the SACs will include time-bound admissions, tracking academic performance and attendance, and ensuring the retention of enrolled children.
The cells will also meet regularly to assess the progress of out-of-school children, update data with the UDISE Plus system, and identify and address dropout cases by providing targeted support to students and their families. Additionally, SACs will provide a bi-weekly report to the headquarters on the status of admissions, attendance, textbooks, uniforms, assessment, and plans for mainstreaming these children into the formal education system.
Government estimates suggest that hundreds of children in Delhi remain outside the education system due to work, migration, or a lack of awareness about their educational rights.