The Maharashtra government is considering a dedicated support system for students from single-mother families pursuing higher education, with a state-level committee recommending a new Support Scheme for Children of Single Mothers 2026.
The proposal includes identifying such students through college admission forms and student records and providing support based on their individual needs. The recommendations were made by a nine-member committee constituted by the Higher and Technical Education Department in June.
What is being proposed?
One of the key recommendations is to add a separate "child of a single mother" field to admission forms used by universities and affiliated colleges across Maharashtra.
The information would help institutions identify students from single-mother households and understand the scale of support required. The committee has also proposed a common registration system and a state-level digital mechanism to map and monitor such students, while keeping their information anonymous.
The proposed support could include:
Academic assistance
Emotional counselling
Hostel and accommodation support
Career guidance
Skill-development support
Help accessing existing government and institutional schemes
The committee has also recommended that colleges identify students who may be at risk of discontinuing their education because of difficulties at home and connect them with appropriate support.
What is the government saying?
Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil said the aim is to ensure that family circumstances do not become a reason for students to discontinue higher education.
"Students from single-mother families should not face financial, social and educational difficulties while pursuing higher education," Patil said. "Our aim is to provide them with the necessary educational support and protection and make their higher education journey easier, safer and more empowering."
The recommendations form part of a proposed Educational Support, Protection and Empowerment Policy-2026. A review meeting on the committee's report has already been held at the state ministry.
How many students could be covered?
Maharashtra had earlier conducted a statewide survey of students from single-mother households. The exercise identified 2,23,042 students from Classes 1 to 12, including 26,777 students in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
However, the government does not yet have comparable consolidated data on students from single-mother families in higher education. The proposed admission-form category is intended partly to address this data gap.
The proposed scheme is not yet an implemented scholarship or automatic financial benefit. The committee has recommended that support be provided according to students' needs and eligibility rather than treating registration under the scheme as an automatic entitlement.