It was further learnt that out of 533 blocks in the State, while 30 have more than 10,000 children deprived of school education, 29 blocks have 8,000 to 10,000 such children.

As guided by none other than Chief Minister Nitish Kumar himself, the strategy for bringing children to school included micro-planning to identify out-of-school children and starting non-residential and residential "bridge courses" for children later inducted in mainstream formal schools.

The strategy also entailed undertaking intensive social mobilisation and community participation for wider understanding of the benefits of education.

The recent move to appoint two lakh teachers, construction of about one lakh classrooms and opening of 15,000 new schools were likely to strengthen the Nitish Government's endeavour to cover all the out-of-school children.

Sources further stated that in the second phase, the programme would cover 146 blocks in eight districts, benefiting about five lakh children, and in the third phase, the remaining blocks and districts in the state would be covered to bring all children to schools.

The BEPC also planned to impart special training to 2 lakh teachers on accelerated learning techniques during a 25-day orientation programme beginning shortly and each new teacher would work with 30 children in schools for about a month to improve the learning level of students in grades one and two.

The BEPC has further decided to conduct about 60,000 non-residential bridge courses for children of various age groups who did not go to school.