State has brought only 187 out-of-school kids back to school

Maharashtra has brought only 187 of nearly 11,85,412 out-of-school children aged 14-18 back into the open school system.

The figures were noted in the minutes of the Project Approval Board (PAB) meeting of the Union Ministry of Education held in June 2026.

The state established an open schooling system on the lines of the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) in January 2019.

The PAB urged Maharashtra to improve identification of out-of-school children and involve school management committees for door-to-door surveys.

Child marriage and child labour are cited as major reasons for children remaining out of school, with nearly 23% of rural child marriages involving girls aged 14-18.