Delhi govt orders monthly parent counselling session to reduce dropouts among out-of-school children

New Delhi: The Delhi government directed all government schools and Special Training Centres (STCs) to hold monthly counselling sessions for parents and guardians of out-of-school children (OoSC) during current academic session to improve attendance, prevent dropouts and facilitate their mainstreaming into the formal education system. The directive, issued under the Samagra Shiksha programme and in accordance with the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, mandates Heads of Schools (HoSs) to organise monthly parental counselling sessions for children enrolled in STCs and mainstream schools.

According to the circular, out-of-school children are those aged 6-14 years who have never been enrolled in school, dropped out before completing elementary education or remained absent for prolonged periods, leading to their exclusion from the formal education system. The DoE said the primary objective of Samagra Shiksha is to identify, enrol, retain and successfully mainstream every out-of-school child through sustained academic and community support.

The department stated that such children often face challenges including irregular attendance, learning gaps, migration, socio-economic constraints, lack of parental awareness and inadequate learning support at home. It said regular counselling of parents would strengthen collaboration between schools and families, enabling timely intervention before children become irregular or discontinue schooling. The monthly sessions will focus on improving attendance, reviewing academic progress, addressing behavioural, emotional and learning-related concerns, encouraging parental support for homework and school participation, preventing dropouts and creating awareness about government educational initiatives and entitlements, it added.

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Schools have also been asked to discuss the academic progress of each out-of-school child, counsel parents on their role in mainstreaming children, identify challenges affecting their education and prepare follow-up action plans. Under the circular, Heads of Schools have been directed to inform parents at least three days in advance through telephone calls and student diaries, ensure their participation and maintain records of the counselling sessions.

Cluster Resource Centre Coordinators (CRCCs) will monitor the sessions, prepare action-taken reports and submit them to District Urban Resource Centre Coordinators (DURCCs), who will compile district-level reports and forward them to the OoSC Cell under Samagra Shiksha on the same day, it read. The DoE added the initiative aims to improve attendance, reduce absenteeism and dropouts, strengthen retention and mainstreaming, enhance parental participation, improve learning outcomes and contribute towards universal access, enrolment, retention and completion of school education under Samagra Shiksha.