78.40% of Schools in the State Have Computer Facilities

Progress in Students’ Reading and Mathematical Skills; School Education Department Reports

Mumbai : The Pratham Education Foundation has published the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) for rural schools. In response, the Maharashtra Primary Education Council has clarified certain points regarding the ASER report. The foundation’s report states that 20.4% of students use computers. However, considering the total 1,08,144 schools, the actual computer usage rate is 72.95%. While the foundation notes that 48.3% of schools lack computers, in reality, 78.40% of schools have computer facilities. Additionally, the School Education Department has reported that approximately 96.8% of schools have proper sanitation facilities for girls.

Pratham surveyed 872 rural schools, including 409 primary and 463 upper-primary schools. According to UDISE data for 2023-24, Maharashtra has a total of 1,08,144 schools. The foundation has surveyed only 0.81% of these schools and assessed 33,746 students, which accounts for just 0.16% of the total 2,09,61,800 students in the state. The findings are based on this limited sample.

Key Positive Findings of the Report:

• School Enrollment: 60.9% of children aged 6 to 14 study in government schools, while 38.5% attend private schools.
• Learning Progress: Students in grades 1 and 2 have shown improvements in reading and mathematical skills. Foundational literacy and numeracy for grade 3 students, which had declined during the COVID-19 pandemic, are being restored. Compared to 2022, government schools saw a 10.9% improvement in reading skills by 2024, while private schools recorded an 8.1% improvement. Mathematical skills improved by 13.1% in government schools and 11.5% in private schools.
• Maharashtra Outperforms National Average: The percentage of grade 3 students who can read at a grade 2 level is 10% higher in Maharashtra compared to the national average. The state ranks among the top five in India for progress in mathematical skills, with a 13% increase from 2022 to 2024. Grade 5 students also showed a 2.2% improvement in reading skills.
• High Retention in Schools: 98% of students aged 15-16 remain enrolled in schools, making Maharashtra one of the states with the lowest dropout rates.
• Digital Access: 94.2% of students aged 14-16 have smartphones at home, with 84.1% actively using them. About 19.2% have personal smartphones, and 63.3% use them for educational purposes, while 72.7% use them for social media.
• Pre-Primary Enrollment: The percentage of three-year-olds enrolled in pre-primary education increased from 93.9% in 2022 to 95% in 2024.
• Consistently High Enrollment Rates: For the past eight years, school enrollment for children aged 6 to 14 has remained above 99%. Despite school closures during the pandemic, enrollment rose from 99.2% in 2018 to 99.6% in 2022 and remained stable in 2024. Maharashtra’s out-of-school rate for this age group is just 0.4%, significantly lower than the national average of 1.9%, according to the School Education Department.