Maharashtra: Classes till 8 to come under local self-government primary schools

The Maharashtra Department of School Education has decided to merge classes till 8 to local self-government primary schools to empower and upgrade them and check student dropout.

In the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the state Department of School Education has decided to join all classes up to class 8 to local self-government primary schools in Maharashtra in a bid to empower and upgrade them and check the dropout of students from these schools.

Under the right of children to free and compulsory education, it is the responsibility of the state government and local bodies to provide free education to all children aged six to 14 years. The state government Department of School Education has taken several steps to empower and improve the quality of education in schools. As per the notice issued by the school education department, students will be provided with a transportation facility for primary schools within a distance of 1 Km from the child’s home, and upper primary schools within a distance of 3 km from the child’s home.

According to the revised structure, the procedure for adding Class 5 to a school that has classes up to Class 4 and adding Class 5 to a school that has classes up to Class 7 has been prescribed. It has also been recommended that there should be combined schools of classes 1 to 8, 1 to 10, and 1 to 12 in the state.

The central government has started selecting ‘PM (Prime Minister) Shree’ schools in the country. In this, while choosing the schools, preference is given to government or local government schools with classes 1 to 10 or 12. Since the facilities are attached, while choosing the schools, the schools with classes 1 to 10 and 12 and the maximum number of such schools are considered important.