78.40% of Schools in Maharashtra Now Equipped with Computers; Progress Seen in Reading and Math, Claims School Education Department
Maharashtra Makes Hindi Compulsory in Classes 1 to 5 with Marathi and English
Mumbai: The School Education Department has claimed that 78.40% of schools in Maharashtra are now equipped with computers, and computer usage in 1,08,444 schools stands at 72.95%.
The Pratham Education Foundation has conducted a survey covering only 0.81% of the total schools in the state. Maharashtra has a total of 1,08,144 schools, out of which the foundation surveyed only 409 primary and 463 upper primary schools in rural areas, totaling 872 schools. Additionally, out of 2,09,61,800 school students in the state, only 33,746 were surveyed, representing just 0.16% of the total student population.
60.9% of Students Study in Government Schools
Among children aged 6 to 14, 60.9% attend government schools, while 38.5% are enrolled in private schools. The learning levels in reading and mathematics for students in classes 1 and 2 have shown improvement.
In government schools, reading skills have improved by 10.9% in 2024 compared to 2022, while private schools have seen an 8.1% improvement. In mathematical skills, government schools have reported a 13.1% improvement, and private schools have shown an 11.5% rise.
Progress in Reading
The percentage of third-grade students in Maharashtra who can read at a second-grade level is 10% higher than the national average. In mathematics, Maharashtra ranks among the top five states in the country for third-grade student progress, with a 13% increase observed between 2022 and 2024.
Among fifth-grade students, there has been a 2.2% improvement in reading skills from 2022 to 2024. Maharashtra is one of the states with the lowest number of out-of-school children.
Access to Digital Tools for Students Aged 14 to 16
In Maharashtra, 94.2% of students aged 14 to 16 have access to smartphones at home, and 84.1% of them are able to use these devices. Of these, 19.2% students own a personal smartphone. Additionally, 63.3% of students use smartphones for educational purposes, while 72.7% use them for various social media platforms.
Enrollment Rate Over 99%
In 2024, the enrollment rate for children in three-year pre-primary schools is 95%, up from 93.9% in 2022. The enrollment rate for children aged 6 to 14 in Maharashtra has remained above 99% for the past eight years. Despite school closures during the pandemic, total enrollment increased from 99.2% in 2018 to 99.6% in 2022 and remained stable in 2024. This indicates that only 0.4% of children in this age group are out of school, compared to the national average of 1.9%, according to the School Education Department.
