Assam launches ‘Second Chance Education’ drive to help out-of-school youth complete schooling

The Assam government on July 9 launched the Second Chance Education (SCE) initiative in Morigaon to help out-of-school adolescents and young adults, particularly girls and young women, complete their secondary and senior secondary education through flexible open schooling.

The district-level consultation, organised under the aegis of the Morigaon District Administration, was jointly conducted by the Assam State Rural Livelihoods Mission (ASRLM), the Women and Child Development (WCD) Department, Samagra Shiksha Assam, in partnership with Educate Girls.

The initiative, aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, will provide learners with an opportunity to complete their education through the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) or the Assam State Open School (ASOS) before connecting them to skill development and livelihood opportunities.

The programme is being piloted across five districts—Biswanath, Dhubri, Karbi Anglong, Morigaon and Nagaon.

According to official data, Morigaon has a secondary school dropout rate of 24.32 per cent among girls, while 39.1 per cent of women are married before the age of 18, often forcing them to discontinue their education. District mapping has already identified over 24,000 women aged 18–30 in Self-Help Groups, with 63 per cent yet to complete secondary education, along with 471 out-of-school children identified through the SSA Survey 2026–27.

The consultation outlined the responsibilities of participating departments, with ASRLM and WCD leading awareness generation and learner mobilisation, while Samagra Shiksha Assam, NIOS, ASOS, and the Assam Skill Development Mission (ASDM) will facilitate enrolment, academic support and vocational linkages.

Addressing the gathering, Morigaon District Commissioner Anamika Tewari said the initiative offers a meaningful opportunity for out-of-school youth, especially girls and young women, to complete their education and move towards skill development and sustainable livelihoods.

Officials said the launch also marks the beginning of a district-wide mobilisation campaign, encouraging Self-Help Groups, Village Organisations and local communities to identify eligible out-of-school adolescents and youth and support their enrolment in the current NIOS and ASOS admission cycle. The district is expected to prepare a comprehensive action plan with clear timelines and departmental responsibilities to strengthen the pathway from education to employment.