ISLAMABAD: A family support programme would help check the ratio of out of school children giving them an opportunity to become productive members of the society. The establishment of a non-formal educated centre also offering vocational services with the support of National Commission for Human Development (NCHD) and National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) would also bring a positive change in the lives of these children. The Ministry of Human Rights in their two separate reports on the Situation Analysis of Out of School Children, one on Kachi Abadis of Islamabad while the second on Selected Rural Areas of Islamabad Capital Territory, presented these recommendations for the children who did not avail their fundamental right of education owing to a lack of interest and other economic constraints. The finding of the first report Situation Analysis of Out of School Children in Kachi Abadis of Islamabad which surveyed around 1,500 households found that 1,022 households have children aged between 5-16 years with the total figure of 2,174 children. Among these children, 1,524 were never enrolled in school. Likewise, Situation Analysis of Out of School Children in Selected Rural Areas of Islamabad pointed out that 1,261 out of school children were identified from the 732 households of selected rural areas. The sample children included Humak from 314, Sohan from 380, Noon from 373 and Alipur Farash from 194 among which 1,079 never enrolled in school while 182 children dropped out and currently 1,261 are still out of school. The study indicated that most of the boys were out-of-school in Humak, Noon and Sohan whereas the majority of girls were out of school in Alipur Farash and adjacent areas. Most of the children were out of schools due to meager financial resources of the family, migration, lack of job opportunities, disabilities, parental negligence or lack of awareness about education rights and facilities. The study also depicted that the higher proportion dropped out due to teachers’ harsh attitude, or least interest in class. The studies suggested that teachers and community leaders’ training sessions may be conducted to guide the children and their parents regarding importance of education in their lives. Lastly, it was proposed that committee comprising Ministry of Human Rights, Social Welfare Department of Capital Administration and Development Division, Director National Child Protection Centre, representatives of National Commission on Human Development and Federal Directorate of Education etc may be constituted to develop and implement an action plan to mainstream out-of-school children. Published in Daily Times, March 19th 2018.