The Delhi government has asked all government schools and Special Training Centres (STCs) to organise monthly counselling sessions for parents and guardians of out-of-school children (OoSC) during the current academic session. As reported by PTI, the initiative aims to improve attendance, prevent school dropouts and help children return to the formal education system.
The directive has been issued under the Samagra Shiksha programme in line with the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009. It instructs Heads of Schools (HoSs) to conduct regular counselling sessions for parents of children enrolled in STCs as well as those who have been mainstreamed into government schools.
According to the Department of Education (DoE), out-of-school children include those between 6 and 14 years of age who have never attended school, dropped out before completing elementary education or remained absent for long periods, resulting in their exclusion from the school system.
The department said the main objective of the Samagra Shiksha programme is to identify such children, enrol them in schools, ensure they continue their education and support their transition into the mainstream education system.
The DoE noted that many out-of-school children face challenges such as irregular attendance, learning gaps, migration, financial difficulties, lack of parental awareness and limited academic support at home. Regular interaction with parents, it said, can help schools identify these issues early and take timely steps to keep children in school.
During the monthly counselling sessions, schools will discuss each child’s attendance and academic progress, address learning, behavioural and emotional concerns, encourage parents to support homework and school participation, and spread awareness about government education schemes and benefits.
Schools have also been directed to identify factors affecting a child’s education and prepare follow-up action plans wherever required.
As per the PTI report, Heads of Schools must inform parents about the counselling sessions at least three days in advance through phone calls or student diaries. Schools have also been asked to maintain records of the meetings.
The circular states that Cluster Resource Centre Coordinators (CRCCs) will monitor the counselling sessions and submit action-taken reports to District Urban Resource Centre Coordinators (DURCCs), who will forward consolidated district reports to the Out-of-School Children (OoSC) Cell under Samagra Shiksha.
The department said the initiative is expected to improve attendance, reduce dropouts, strengthen student retention, increase parental involvement and support the goal of universal access to school education.
