Maharashtra is one of the top destinations for Education in India. With numerous school, colleges and other educational institutions operating in the state, Maharashtra is flocked by students from all over the country for pursuing a career in their own chosen field. Pune is a hub for popular colleges and institutions in Maharashtra. Other cities in Maharashtra that are known for having a sound educational base include Ahmednagar, Kolhapur, Aurangabad, Nagpur, and Mumbai.
According to the statistics of Census 2011, the literacy rate in the state of Maharashtra is 82.91%. The male literacy rate is 89.82% and female literacy rate is 75.48%.
Education system in Maharashtra
The education system in Maharashtra has undergone a massive change over the last decade. The courses and curriculum are made student-friendly and economical for students hailing from all backgrounds. In the year 2010, the criterion for selecting candidates for admission into colleges was decided to be ‘Best of 5′ by the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary Education. This means, a student appearing in 6 subjects can choose marks of any 5 subjects in which he has scored the highest and apply for admission into colleges. However, the students cannot leave out the marks obtained for compulsory subjects like Marathi or English. In 2010, the school education system also underwent a change. SCF or State Curriculum Framework was set up so that school education could be made “contemporary and relevant”. During the same period, the concept of virtual classrooms through video conferencing was also introduced in the education system.
Educational reforms in Maharashtra
Maharashtra has decided on allowing “private entities” to form new universities in the state. This measure was taken to bring in more investors to the state.
Primary education in Maharashtra
A child is eligible to attend school at the age of 5 years. Schools in Maharashtra are affiliated to Indian School Certificate Examination, Central Board of Secondary Education, or Maharashtra State Secondary Board. Few of the schools in the state are also managed by the Municipal Corporation. To know more about schools in Maharashtra, click here.
Graduation colleges and Universities in Maharashtra
Maharashtra hosts numerous colleges offering range of courses in the field of science, commerce as well as arts academic programs. To know about colleges in Maharashtra,click here.
There are over 25 universities in Maharashtra that offer regular degrees as well as professional degrees to aspiring professionals. To know more about Universities in Maharashtra, click here.
Education for nonresident students
Maharashtra has seats reserved for students from other states who wish to continue their studies in the state of Maharashtra.
Education for Foreign students
Starting from management to medical colleges in the state, there are many colleges that offer opportunity to study in the state for NRI students. The names of few of some institutes are Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, and KJ Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and Research.
As per the norms of All India Council for Technical Education related to self funded educational institutions, 15% of the seats are reserved for NRI students. The AICTE also envisages that colleges offering seats to NRI students must also have the provision of hostel accommodation.
Hostels and accommodation in Maharashtra
Maharashtra has a number of hostels that offer accommodation to students from all over the country. There are many educational institutions that have their own accommodation option for students.