The centrally sponsored scheme of non formal education (NFE) was introduced in 1979-80 on a pilot basis with the aim to support the formal system in providing education to all children up to the age of 14 years. The National Policy on education 1986, recognize that the school could not reach all children and a large & systematic programme of non formal education would be required for school dropouts, for children from habitations without schools, working children & girls who could not attend full day schools. Thus NFE became an important component of the overall strategy for achievement of Universalisation of Elementary Education (UEE). The NFE scheme was revised in 1987-88. While the focus continued to be on 10 educationally backward States. It is pertinent to mention here that the Hon' ble "Supreme Court" has recognized the education of children in the 6-14 years age group as "Fundamental Right". With the view to achieve the goal of UEE, the centrally sponsored scheme SSA has set time bound targets. Efforts to provide access to out of school children and ensure their regular participation and completion of Primary/Elementary level of education with satisfactory levels of learning has to form a part of the overall efforts for achievement of UEE. Maximum efforts are being done to enroll the children in formal schools. Right to Education Bill advocats the formal schools but due to topographical reasons and migratory population Non-formal educational centres are the only option(AIE, EGS, Mobile Schools).
EGS/AIE centers (Primary level) are opened in unserved habitations where no schools exist within a radius of one k.m.. and children in the age group of 6-14 who are not going to schools are available. As on today there are 88 EGS & Mobile schools covering 2162 children under SSA in Himachal Pradesh.
However due to migration the data related to OOSC fluctuates from time to time. Now we have only 1023 Out of school children in our state. This figure seem to be swelling as fresh survey in some of the districts i.e. Hamirpur, Kullu and Solan show that the migratory children are still being traced in some of the new temporary habitations. There are negligible numbers of out of school children who are the inhabitants of Himachal Pradesh. Most of them are migrant Gujjars who shift to the higher reaches in the summer and come back to low lying areas in the winter. For the migratory community (Gujjars) 23 mobile schools have been opened (16 in Shimla, 5 in Sirmaur,1 in Chamba, 1 in Mandi). Some more mobile centres in Sirmaur and Chamba district will be opened after ascertaining the OOSC from Gujjar community. We have also started 29 AIE centers for the hardest to reach group and in due course of time we will be able to motivate all Himachali & migrant OOSC to join the mainstream of education. These AIEs have been opened for few months and after mainstreaming the children these centres will be closed with the permission of the Govt.
Migratory children pose a real challenge before SSA functionaries as every year new habitations & colonies come into being around construction sites, industrial areas and urban areas to earn their living and better future prospects. As a result lot of fluctuations occurs in the data regarding OOSC in some districts of the state. Migratory children keep on changing their abodes/habitations sometimes in a short span of time. Maximum No of these children are in the Urban or industrial areas & after identifying them they are either being enrolled in formal schools or in EGS/AIE centers. For the migratory children from other states whose sojourn in the state is for limited identity cards will be provided so that these children can be given educational benefits when inter or intra state migration takes place. SSA will provide them education through EGS/AIE or mobile schools by taking permission from the Govt.