Our programs
Keeping children in education
Helping children continue their education when migration, disasters, or financial pressure at home interrupt it.
Why getting back in is hard
Children here leave school when migration, floods, demolitions, or money pressures disrupt their families' lives (why children leave school →). Getting back in is harder than leaving.
Even when children want to return to school, doing so is difficult for two reasons. First, they cannot re-enrol in a lower grade that doesn't correspond to their age; policy requires placement with their age group. Second, because they have missed years of content, they are not prepared to succeed at the grade that does match their age. As a result, most stay out of school.
Our approach
Keeping a child in education takes more than one thing, so we work on five fronts, based on each child's situation.
1
Open schooling through NIOS
The National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) lets students complete Class 10 and 12 without the address and attendance requirements of a regular school; enrolment needs only an Aadhaar card and a previous marksheet. Many families don't know this option exists.
When a child has dropped out but wants to continue studying, Vikram Singh and our teaching team first help the family put together the documentation required to enrol with NIOS. Once the paperwork is in place, Vikram teaches the NIOS curriculum directly — starting from each child's actual level, not their age — helps the student register for the NIOS Class 10 and Class 12 board exams, and supports them through to passing.
Read how this worked for Pushpa and Rupam →2
Documentation for school enrolment
Families newly arrived in Delhi often need help getting Aadhaar, birth certificates, and other paperwork in order so their children can enrol in government or private schools. The same documentation help-desk also supports awareness of and access to Ayushman Bharat, Sukanya Samriddhi, POCSO, and pension schemes.
3
Bridge education
Children who have fallen behind need customised, highly personalised teaching that starts by understanding each child's actual learning level, and then helps them catch up. Depending on age and circumstances, the goal is either to re-enrol them in school, or to prepare them to pass the 10th or 12th grade exams through NIOS.
4
Role models and family buy-in
Convincing families that education is worth continuing matters as much as the teaching. Students from this community who have completed their education, like Pushpa and Rupam, show what is possible, and we will follow and share the stories of each child who comes through the program. Counselling and mentoring from people in their own community help children rebuild their confidence and motivation.
5
Skilling and jobs
After students pass their NIOS exams, NSF helps connect them with job placements. Not every child who has dropped out wants to return to formal study. For them, NSF organises skilling workshops — mainly stitching — and then helps them get jobs. This track is separate from the current 28-child funded pilot, which is focused on NIOS re-engagement.
What We Are Doing
As an initial pilot programme, we conducted a household survey followed by calls with families, and identified 28 children who have dropped out early and meet two criteria: they are eager to learn, and their families are willing to support them in returning to education. We are raising funds to teach, mentor, and support these 28 children.