There had been a serious search for alternative arrangement to ensure that each child attends school and get quality education. Interventions under education guarantee scheme (EGS) & Alternative and Innovative Education (AIE) have been made in order to provide access to all un-served habitations and to address diverse needs of the out of school children. The group includes children who have never been enrolled at school since no schooling facilities were available within a walking distance of 1 km even when schooling access is available there are children who did not enroll because the family migrates every year in search of work or the children work with their parents, take care of the household chores and also look after their younger siblings while both parents work. In the urban areas there are children who are living in slums, on the streets, on railway platforms, children working as domestic help, children working in shops etc. These children are sometimes living with their families while there are those who have run away from home and are now living on their own.
The effort to provide access to "out of school children" has been a part of the effort for achievement of UEE. The key interventions planned and executed during 2005-06 are

Opening of EGS centers in unserved habitations :

A large number of habitations have been provided with educational facility through setting up EGS centers.

Education Guarentee Scheme (Primary)

In total 17,842 EGS centers were opened till the end of the year 2004-05 covering 7,64,295 children of which 3,95,380 were boys and 3,68,915 were girls.

A large number of EGS centres opened in these habitations have been upgraded into new primary schools. 16,722 EGS centers were upgraded to New Primary School.

EGS upgraded to Primary School (NPS)

Intervention for mainstreaming out of school children - 

Bridge courses :

Bridge Courses both of residential and non residential types of varying duration are run by NGOs. The objectives are to prepared out of school children for age appropriate grade through condensed course. In all 60,933 children have been enrolled in bridge courses during 2005-06.

Camp school (Residential Bridge courses) :

Drop out children who migrate with their families, wage earning child labourers (11-14 years of age) who could not be enrolled directly in formal schools have been enrolled in residential bridge course (Camp schools). The number of children enrolled was 2,730.

Innovative Education :

Very specific and flexible strategies have been adopted for heterogeneous group of children like street children, children living in platform, slum, construction sites, working in shops, Dhabas & children involved in other domestic works & children in remand homes. Number of children enrolled under this activity was 7,639.

Back to school camp :

This strategy support mainstreaming of children into formal schools through back to school camp for long absence, repeaters, migrant children etc. 3,753 children have been covered through this strategy. 

Remedial Teaching :

These centers are operational before or after school hours. The Education volunteers are paid honorarium commensurate to the number of hours the centre is operational. The children received remedial teaching who became mainstreamed into formal schools from bridge courses/camp/Back to school strategies and the children of poor achievement level in formal schools. 35,185 children have been provided remedial teaching.

 NGO's Participation

There are two committees namely Pre Sanction Appraisal Committee (PSAC) and Grant-in-Aid Committee (GIAC) which are constituted for appraisal and approval of the proposals under AIE. After recommendation of Pre Sanction Appraisal Committee, the proposals are placed before Grant-in-Aid Committee.