Maharashtra is considering a structured support system for college students who are children of single mothers, including counselling, career guidance, accommodation assistance and help with continuing their education. The proposed Single Mothers’ Children Support Scheme (SMCSS) 2026 would also introduce a separate identification field in admission forms at universities and affiliated colleges across the state.
The recommendations were made by a nine-member committee formed by the higher and technical education department to frame a comprehensive policy for supporting single-mother families. The committee, headed by Hemlata Bagla, vice-chancellor of HSNC University, submitted its report to higher education director Shailendra Deolankar on Monday. The report was reviewed at a meeting the same day.
Bagla told the Times of India that Maharashtra currently had no uniform system to identify, map or support such students. Some colleges may have offered assistance informally, she said, but the proposed framework would create a more consistent institutional process. Colleges would be expected to identify students, inform them about government schemes and other available support, and provide guidance based on individual needs.
The proposal does not create an automatic financial entitlement for every student registered under the scheme. Instead, it recommends needs-based facilitation with minimal documentation. Support could include emotional counselling, career and skill-development guidance, accommodation assistance, digital access or help in continuing studies when family circumstances disrupt academic participation.
Bagla gave the example of a student missing an examination because the student’s mother was unwell. Under the proposed approach, the institution could provide support to prevent such circumstances from affecting the student’s academic progression or leading to a dropout. The report also cautions that students from single-mother families should not automatically be treated as vulnerable solely because of their family structure.
The committee has recommended early intervention when family circumstances begin affecting a student’s academic participation or continuity. It has also proposed sensitisation and guidance for higher education institutions, annual anonymous implementation reports and periodic reviews based on student feedback and aggregated state-level data. The report further records that a student’s consent before benefits are extended was discussed during the government’s review.
Higher education minister Chandrakant Patil said in a statement that the government was working to make the higher education journey of these students easier, safer and more empowering by taking their needs and circumstances into account. The proposed framework will now require further consideration before it becomes an implemented state policy.
