The Government of Maharashtra’s Model School Programme seeks to establish select government schools in every district as exemplary sites of learning.

Aligned to this vision, 488 schools run by local bodies, from every block and district will be developed as ‘model schools’ (Adarsh Shala) in the first phase through public/private/ philanthropic partnerships with NGOs and corporate organizations. The government has announced its objective of sustainably scaling the impact to 5000 Model Schools across the state in a phased manner.

To spearhead the strategy, plan and action, an MoU has been signed between the Government of Maharashtra and the Shantilal Muttha Foundation. Hon’ble Commissioner of Education, Maharashtra Shri Vishal Solanki, Hon’ble Director SCERT Shri M.D.Singh, Hon’ble Dy. Director Shri Vikas Garad visited SMF Office on 15 February 2022. Shri Shantilal Muttha, Founder, Shri Vishal Phanse, CEO, and the entire team of SMF and BJS was present at the event.

To co-create and facilitate the strategy, planning, effective implementation and scale-up of the Model School Programme, a  Model School Transformation Cell (MSTC) would be jointly set up by SMF and GoM at SCERT. MSTC would also support strengthening the school systems, improving quality and governance for holistic student achievement.

The government has allocated a special budget for upgrading infrastructure and educational learning resources for enhancing the learning outcomes of the children through this initiative. The programme has been envisioned to create schools as Centres of Excellence to mentor and inspire neighbourhood schools and realize the expectations of the NEP 2020.

A roadmap has been defined by the Government of Maharashtra that ultimately aims to scale the impact of the Model School Programme to all the 67000 govt. schools with sustainability plans and action.

SMF is committed to supporting the GoM to attain the envisaged outcomes, achieve scalability as well as the sustainability of the desired impact.

Given the effect of COVID-19, the global epidemic that has caused the closure of all primary schools, it has become necessary to meet the educational needs of children in their own villages. To address this grave concern, Shantilal Muttha Foundation and former MLA Dr Ashish Deshmukh, in collaboration with VSPM Academy for Higher Education, has taken an initiative to implement ‘Sahayogi Shikshan Abhiyaan’ in Katol and Narkhed talukas in the Nagpur district.

The Abhiyaan began with a training workshop for Shikshan Sarathis, which was inaugurated by former Agriculture Minister and President of the organization Hon. Shri Ranjit Babu Deshmukh, former MLA Dr Ashish Deshmukh, and Vidarbharatna Shikshan Maharshi Shri Bhausaheb Bhoge. The programme will be implemented in 257 villages with an estimated participation of over 9,000 students. A total of 200 Shikshan Sarathis were trained by SMF to run all the Samaj Vidya Kendras.

Dr Ashish Deshmukh, former MLA and renowned social activist addressing trainers who have voluntarily opted to become Shikshan Sarathis during the ‘Sarathi Prashikshan’ program held under the initiative of Sahayogi Shikshan Abhiyaan at Katol-Narkhed, Nagpur on 3rd February 2021. The Shikshan Sarathi training program was jointly organized by Shantilal Muttha Foundation and VSPM Academy of Higher Education.