So, why isn’t she attending school like other teens? That, well, is the story — Rath is part of the first batch of Pallavanjali Institute for Actualisation of Individual Potential, which claims to be a first-of-its-kind alternative school in Uppal’s South End, Gurgaon. Rath has enrolled in the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), and would take her English examination this April.

“I can appear for the rest of the subjects next year,” she says, now smiling.

Rath finished her secondary education from Golden Heights School.

Suman Nath, principal of Tagore International School, Rath is part of a growing tribe — of students joining technical, job-oriented courses through NIOS. Alternative schools apart, even many private schools in the Capital now offer students the option to finish their studies and get that degree without returning to their home school.

“Many students now opt for distant education because they are clear of their career choices,” Nath says. The result? “They start getting job offers right after Class X, besides internships.”

So do students rely on the flexible programme to be their safety net? “I think it is completely feasible to work along with study,” Nath says. “If a child is not interested in a particular stream, we should not put them through the strain of ICSE or CBSE.”

To date, Vasant Valley School has 500 students enrolled in the course. Jenson Khosla, co-coordinator of NIOS with Vasant Valley, says, “We have been running this programme for the past eight years. It is open for students of Class X and XII.”

Besides a flexible syllabus, a time span of five years to graduate gives students ample time to clear the exams at own ease.

Experts say students often drop out of regular schooling due to financial problems, or simply opt out since they cannot match up classmates. But the “prime reason”, Nath says, is that they don’t believe in mainstream education.

Shri Ram School, too, offers an extensive vocational programme under Special Education Needs Department for differently enabled children. “After the age of 15 or 16, the child is enrolled in NIOS and is given pre-vocational training in hospitality and catering industry,” says Shalini Bakliwal, who heads the department.

Delhi Public School also offers in-house training to students in fashion studies, biotechnology, and in the hospitality sector.

Ryan International in trans-Yamuna, on the other hand, does not have a structured vocational training. But the school offers workshops in creative-writing, management principles.

Archana Khanna, who heads the enrichment centre in Heritage School, says, “We do not believe in rote learning and employ non-traditional methods. But the school has no programme as such for children who are disinterested with mainstream education.”