Government data from the last five years has exposed significant flaws in a key educational safety net for students in Delhi's government schools. The initiative, designed to prevent dropouts by shifting struggling teenagers to the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), is reaching only a fraction of its intended beneficiaries and failing to successfully reintegrate them.
A Safety Net with Major Gaps
The project was introduced as a parallel pathway for students who repeatedly fail in Class IX or struggle in Classes X and XI. The core idea was to prevent them from quitting studies entirely by moving them to the flexible NIOS system, helping them clear Class X, and then guiding them back to mainstream formal schooling.
However, the data tells a story of limited reach. Over the past five years, out of more than 3.2 lakh students who failed Class IX in Delhi government schools, only 71,124 opted for NIOS admission. This means only about 26% of eligible students used this alternative route. The vast majority either repeat Class IX multiple times, drop out, or shift to private or other open-schooling options.
Low Success Rates and a Bleak Future
For those who do enter NIOS, the promise of a second chance often fades. The system is struggling to act as an effective bridge. Only about 30% of NIOS students from these schools manage to clear the Class X examination. This low pass rate means a majority are unable to return to formal schooling, leaving them in an educational limbo.
Education activists argue the project has been misused. "The project was meant to retain students in the education system. However, to ensure their own board results appear good, many schools use open schooling as a dumping ground," said Ashok Agarwal, a prominent education activist and lawyer.
He added that even those who pass are often confined to the arts stream in Class XI, limiting their future academic and career choices. "The way this project is being implemented puts the future of these children at risk," Agarwal stated.
Systemic Challenges and Parental Frustration
The Directorate of Education recently made it mandatory for schools to enroll students who fail Class IX twice into NIOS for the 2024-25 session. Official data shows 17,308 students were unsuccessful for the second time in 2023-24.
An official from the directorate defended the approach, saying, "This flexible approach allows students to study at their own pace and select subjects of interest, with the goal of reintegrating them into their original schools upon completing Class 10."
Despite this, implementation is riddled with problems. Experts point to multiple gaps: schools often fail to track NIOS student attendance or communicate with parents, and NIOS classes are irregular, leaving students to study without proper guidance. Furthermore, many parents are completely unaware of NIOS as an option.
This frustration is echoed by parents. One parent from northeast Delhi shared, "My daughter failed twice in Class IX, and the school asked her to stop attending classes. We did not know what to do, and she had to quit studies."
The enrollment mismatch remains stark. In 2023-24, only 7.7% of Class IX failures enrolled in NIOS, a figure that rose to 17% in 2024-25 but still represents a minority.
An official, speaking anonymously, provided specific pass rate data: In 2024, 37% of the 7,794 registered NIOS students passed Class X. Pass rates have fluctuated wildly in recent years—44% in 2017, 66% in 2018, 95% in 2019, and 26% in 2023. The average over the last four years sits around 30%, underscoring persistent and deep-rooted systemic failures in what was envisioned as a crucial safety net for Delhi's students.
