Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has launched a ‘Quality Enhancement Initiative’ to help students excel in the upcoming Pre-Upper Primary (Class 5) and Pre-Secondary (Class 8) Scholarship Exams for the 2025-26 academic year. Under this initiative, 5,541 students from BMC schools have received study materials a year in advance to aid their preparation.
The initiative aims to improve students’ performance in competitive exams from an early age. Eligible students currently studying in Class 4 and Class 7 have been selected. To support them, Navneet Publications' guidebooks in Marathi, Semi-Marathi, Urdu, and English mediums have been distributed. This effort has been funded through the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives of Adani Electricity, Adani Foundation, and Utthan Group.
A special book distribution ceremony was held at the BMC headquarters on February 17, 2025. Additional Municipal Commissioner (Eastern Suburbs) Dr. Amit Saini distributed book sets to selected students and encouraged them to prepare diligently. He highlighted the importance of the scholarship exam in building academic confidence and future success. During his interaction, he also engaged students in reading exercises in Marathi and English.
Deputy Commissioner (Education) Dr. Prachi Jambhekar provided details on the initiative, stating that the scholarship exam is conducted annually across Maharashtra in February. In 2024, a total of 6,890 students from BMC schools appeared for the exam, with 605 securing a place on the district merit list. This year, the number of registered candidates has increased to 7,843, and officials expect a higher success rate due to the early intervention program.
Apart from book distribution, BMC will organise additional coaching classes for scholarship aspirants during the summer vacation. Online sessions will also be introduced, and from September 2025, practice tests will be conducted to enhance students' exam readiness.
Officials believe that this initiative will improve student performance and increase the number of scholarship recipients in the coming years.