Maharashtra restores scholarships for Std IV and Std VII students

The Maharashtra government on Friday restored the scholarships for students Std IV and Std VII starting from the 202526 academic yearThe decision brings back support for young students through revised scholarship examinations officials saidThe PreUpper Primary Scholarship Examination will now be held for Std IV students instead of Std V while the PreSecondary Scholarship Examination will shift from Std VIII to Std VII The exams will be conducted regularly from the 202627 academic year onwardsThe names of the exams have been changed The PreUpper Primary Scholarship Exam will now be called the Primary Scholarship Examination Std 4th Level and the PreSecondary Scholarship Exam will be known as the Upper Primary Scholarship Examination Std 7th LevelOfficials said the move is aimed at identifying talented students early and supporting them through scholarships encouraging continued education and academic growthIn 2016 the scholarships originally meant for Std IV and Std VII were moved to Std V and Std VIII students However the decision faced strong opposition and the ministry is now working to reinstate the original structureThis year the scholarship exams were conducted for students in Std IV V VII and VIII to ensure that no student missed out on the opportunityMidday had earlier reported that Maharashtra government was in the final stages of shifting school scholarships back to Std IV and Std VII instead of Std V and Std VIII starting from the upcoming academic year Alongside this change the Ministry of School Education plans to increase the number of scholarships beyond the current 16000 The ministry is working in coordination with the Ministry of Tribal Affairs the Ministry of Social Justice and the Ministry of Other Backward ClassesOn Friday the government approved the change in the level of the PreUpper Primary Scholarship Examination and PreSecondary Scholarship Examination from Class V to Class IV and from Class VIII to Class VIIOfficials said in the academic session 202526 the scholarship examination for Class V and Class VIII will be organised finally usually on the second or third Sunday of February 2026 while the scholarship examination for Class IV and Class VII will be organised on any Sunday in April or May 2026 From 2026ndash27 onwards the scholarship examination will be organised regularly for Class IV and Class VIIThe scholarship amount has been approved for Class IV at the rate of five thousand rupees per year and for Class VII at the rate of seven thousand five hundred rupees per year A total of 16693 scholarship sets each for Class IV and Class V and 16588 scholarship sets each for Class VII and Class VIII will continue to be approved Similarly the PreHigher Secondary Scholarship Examination and PreSecondary ScholarshipExamination will henceforth be named as the Primary Scholarship Examination ie Class IV level and Upper Primary Scholarship Examination ie Class VII level the officials saidThis scholarship examination has been organised regularly for students of Class V and Class VIII since 201617 However after the change in the level of the scholarship examination it has been observed that there has been a significant decrease in the total number of students admittedIn order to increase the participation of students in local selfgovernment bodies and improve the quality of students and teachers the government was considering changing the level of the scholarship examination from Class V to Class IV and from Class VIII to Class VII students Accordingly a government decision on comprehensive matters has been published by amending the terms and conditions officials saidFor Class IV a scholarship amount of Rs 500 per month has been approved which is Rs 5000 per year For Class VII a scholarship amount of Rs 750 per month which is Rs 7500 per year has been approved The government decision in this regard has clarified that the duration of both scholarships will be three years each they said