New Delhi: As classrooms across Delhi prepare for the new academic cycle, the city’s education department has fanned out hundreds of surveyors into lanes, labour clusters and informal settlements to answer a critical question: Which children are still missing from school? In a renewed push to bridge learning gaps, Delhi govt has launched a 15-day citywide survey to identify out-of-school children and bring them back into the formal education system.The exercise, conducted by the Samagra Shiksha wing of the Delhi education department from Jan 1 to Jan 15, aims to track children who dropped out, never enrolled, or require special educational support. Survey teams are visiting households daily between 9 am and 1 pm to map education gaps on the ground. “Our objective is to ensure universal access to education and simplify the admission process so that no child is denied schooling due to documentation, migration or socio-economic challenges,” an education department official said.
A total of 234 survey teams were deployed across all districts, with East Delhi seeing the highest number at 27 teams, followed by South East (25) and South and West B districts (22 each). Children identified during the survey will be categorised into four age groups—below 6 years, 6–10 years, 11–14 years and 15–19 years—to enable age-appropriate placement. “This classification helps us plan admissions more effectively, especially for older children who may need bridge courses or alternative learning pathways,” the official added.All identified children, including those with special needs, are expected to be admitted by Jan 31, with a detailed report on admissions to be submitted by Feb 7. “Schools were instructed to prioritise these admissions and provide necessary academic and counselling support,” another official said.The survey follows a targeted outreach strategy, focusing first on high-risk areas where dropout rates are traditionally higher. Unauthorised colonies, construction sites, industrial zones and migrant settlements have been identified as key hotspots.For many families, the struggle is painfully real. A father from northeast Delhi recounted his ordeal with his son’s Class IX admission: “I was bounced from one office to another, each offering little clarity. Eventually, the school removed his name from the roster, and I had no idea how to get him readmitted.” With options dwindling, his son ended up working in a shop in Shiv Vihar, a stark reminder of how quickly educational disruption can divert a child from learning to labour.Samagra Shiksha conducts bi-annual surveys each year to identify out-of-school children. Thousands of students are identified each year. “In this year’s summer survey, over 11,000 children were identified who either dropped out or were never enrolled,” said the official.
