India, July 28 -- Maharashtra has brought back only 187 of the nearly 11,85,412 out-of-school children in the 14-18 age group into the open school system, pointing to its inability to rehabilitate school dropouts and improve enrolment numbers.

The figures were noted in the minutes of the Project Approval Board (PAB) meeting of the Union ministry of education held in June 2026. According to the data, Maharashtra has 11,85,412 out-of-school children in the 14-18 age group, based on the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2025, which measures children's participation in the workforce conducted by the Union labour ministry. However, the state's action plan for open schooling supported only 187 students in this age group.

The state establish...