While the education department in Maharashtra is striving for quality education, the condition of schools in rural areas continues to be a cause for concern. According to data registered on 'UDISE+' (Unified District Information System for Education Plus) as of September 30, there are 394 schools across the state with zero student enrollment. Additionally, approximately 8,000 schools have fewer than 10 students.
In the current academic year, a total of 2,11,86,943 students have been enrolled in the state, which is about 7,000 more than last year. However, the registration of 5 lakh students is still incomplete. This number may increase in the coming days. Despite this, the number of students in many rural schools is declining. Several schools have only a handful of students, which is a matter of concern for the state's education system.
As per the data up to September 30, Pune has the highest number of schools with zero student enrollment, at 37. Following this, Ratnagiri has 24, Nagpur has 23, and Buldhana has 21 schools that are completely empty. In Mumbai, Mumbai Suburban has 22 schools and Mumbai City has five schools with no students. Thane has 15, Palghar has 19, and Raigad has 12 schools without students.
In Ratnagiri district, 713 schools have fewer than 10 students. Pune has 627, Raigad has 682, Sindhudurg has 569, and Kolhapur has 317 schools in a similar situation. In Mumbai Suburban, 360 schools, Mumbai City has 34, Thane has 199, and Palghar has 124 schools where fewer than 10 children are studying. In total, across the state, there are 7,946 schools where only 1 to 10 students are registered.
Approximately 52,573 schools have between 11 and 100 students. This includes over 3,000 schools in Ahmednagar, around 3,000 in Pune, and over 2,600 in Nashik.
Although the state has recorded an increase in student enrollment compared to last year, the condition of rural schools remains a cause for concern, with hundreds of schools facing the threat of closure due to declining student numbers.
