According to the preliminary results announced by the Maharashtra State Council of Examination (MSCE) two days ago, Pune has emerged as the top-performing district in Maharashtra in terms of the number of pupils who passed the class 5 and 8 scholarship exams.
“With 15,704 Class 5 students passing the exams and 7,140 Class 8 students passing the exams, Pune as a district has not only had the best results, but it has outperformed all regions in the state consisting of several districts, except Kolhapur,” said Zilla Parishad CEO Ayush Prasad.
The scholarship examination, which assesses foundational learning and numeracy in Class 5, attracted a record number of pupils from the Pune area. The exam was taken by 55,129 kids in Class 5 and 32,396 students in Class 8, the largest number for any district. In Pune, the pass rate for Class 5 was 29.58%, while the pass percentage for Class 8 was 22.85%.
In the past, the Pune Zilla Parishad, which governs the district’s educational institutes, has urged all students to sit the scholarship examination and has even covered their expenses. The Zilla Parishad has conducted numerous initiatives and examinations to improve pupils’ core learning and numeracy. According to the CEO of ZP, the findings of these assessments were aligned with data on learning outcomes.
However, in terms of the percentage of students who passed the exam, the district still trails Kolhapur, Satara, and Buldhana for Class 5, and Mumbai and Kolhapur for Class 8.
Because it is linked to the government’s flagship programme, Nipun Bharat, the scholarship exam has gained significance. Nipun Bharat, launched in 2019 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, intends to ensure that every child in the country achieves competence in foundational learning and basic numeracy by 2025. According to officials, the plan aims to achieve this goal by boosting school quality, closing learning gaps, and strengthening teacher training.
Pune District Institute of Education Training has been providing eight-week programmes to help students improve learning competency in order to reach this goal. The most recent cycle took place between December and February of 2023, and one module is being held over summer holidays to bridge learning gaps among students.
Shobha Khandare, Principal of the Pune District Institute of Education Training, expressed optimism about meeting the Nipun Bharat target by 2024.
Sunanda Thube, a Secondary Education Officer, stated that despite the pandemic, more pupils from the Pune District received scholarships in Class 8 than in Class 5. Pune Zilla Parishad is monitoring and supporting secondary schools in the area to enhance academic performance through its “Academics Improvement Programme.”
While acknowledging the district’s success in the exams, the Pune Zilla Parishad remains committed to ensuring that no child is left behind. “Nearly 70% of students in the district have not achieved proficiency, and the council is working to close this gap through various initiatives,” Prasad explained.