Super Nipun schools surge from 233 to 1,113 in a month under Nashik ZP

Nashik: The district has emerged as a top performer in the state under the Nipun Maharashtra campaign, with a huge surge in progress recorded in Feb and March this year, said officials. The initiative is designed to ensure foundational literacy and numeracy for students by the end of Std III.Nashik zilla parishad (ZP) chief executive officer (CEO) Omkar Pawar said, "The district witnessed a 377% increase in ‘Super Nipun' schools, jumping from 233 to 1,113 in just 30 days. Simultaneously, the number of schools categorized as ‘Nipun' quadrupled, growing from 353 to 1,471. This lead to the addition of 55,990 students reaching Nipun status during this period, bringing the district's total to 1,39,701 students."Data from the ZP education department showed that Nashik added the highest number of Nipun students among all 34 districts in Maharashtra within a single month. This record-breaking growth propelled the district from ninth place in Feb to third in the state rankings by March, trailing only Pune and Ahilyanagar.The success of the drive has been attributed to a rigorous monitoring system and activity-based learning. Pawar said, "I conducted daily video calls to lagging schools, randomly testing students' reading and writing skills to ensure accountability. The administration also provided SCERT textbooks and mandated a dedicated hour daily for students to engage with literature, focusing on comprehension and storytelling."Digital tools, including WhatsApp channels, were utilized to maintain momentum for the 100-day reading movement. Beyond general improvements, the initiative successfully uplifted 74% of the 131 targeted low-performing schools into the Nipun category.Another ZP official said, "This collective effort by teachers, officials, and school heads demonstrates that structured remediation and consistent follow-up can produce extraordinary results in public education, significantly narrowing the learning gap for thousands of young students in the region."