The tribal areas have facilities for school education like the rest of the State.  There are 8445 primary, 864 secondary and 151 higher secondary schools run by Zilla Parishads in these areas.  The number of students is 8.43 lakh in primary, 3.68 lakh in secondary and 1.46 lakh in higher secondary schools.  The Tribal Development Department, however, implements certain special schemes in order to improve the quality of education and to enable more tribal students to pursue their studies.   These are the Ashram Shalas, Government hostels and post matric scholarships.

The scheme of Ashram School Complex for tribal students is under implementation since 1952. This scheme was first implemented through voluntary organisations and later by the State Government itself since 1972-73. The norm for opening an Ashram School in hilly areas is that there should be adivasi population of about 5000 to 7000 within a radius of 8 to10 kms. For inaccessible areas the norms of population is about 2000 to 3000 within a radius of 10 to 15 kms.  At present there 410 Ashram Schools run by Government. To provide higher education to tribal boys and girls, the Government started to upgrade some of the Ashram Schools to Post Basic Ashram Schools (with classes up to Xth) since 1978-79. At present there are 273 Post Basic Ashram Schools out of the 410  Ashram Schools. Approximately 1.35 lakh tribal students get education in these schools. The Government has converted 22 Post Basic Ashram Schools into Girls Ashram Schools in June, 1999.  A class in an Ashram School admits 40 residentl tribal students and 10 day scholars (tribals except children of employees). In case a student fails in a particular academic year, he/she is given one chance to repeat in the same class as a resident student.

With a view to provide opportunity to the tribal children to achieve merit in education, the Tribal Development Department has started 2 model schools at Bhandara, in District Ahmednagar and Deomogara in District Nandurbar. These schools have been established on the lines of Vidhyaniketan and Navodaya Vidhyala. The students in these model schools are selected through entrance examination.

Under a programme taken up in 1996-97 for improvement of the quality of primary education, the Government established one Central Ashram School for a group of five Ashram Schools.  At present 144 Ashram Schools are declared Central Ashram Schools. To provide opportunities for higher secondary education to the tribal children, the Government has sanctioned 11^th and 12^th standards in Arts and Science faculties in 31 Government Post Basic Ashram Schools in June, 1999. With the objective of raising the standard of  Ashram Schools, Government has established Special Education Wings in the offices of the Tribal Commissioner, Additional Tribal Commissioners and Project Officers mainly to look after the academic performance of the Ashram Schools. To enable the tribal students to find employment, Government has sanctioned 4 vocational training centres at Kasansur and Kotgul in Gadchiroli district, Vinval in Thane district and Patharaj in Raigad district.

The Government Ashram Schools and Model Ashram Schools are residential schools. The resident tribal students are provided free lodging and boarding, two sets of uniforms, books and notebooks, educational equipment and free physical checking. For regular physical examination of the students and providing them medical care,  37 mobile medical units have been set up in the tribal areas. Government has decided to provide woolen jersey to the students of Government Ashram Schools once in three years.

A type plan for construction of Government Ashram School has been prepared by Chief Architect, PWD. Construction of buildings as per the type plan has been completed for 210 Government Ashram Schools out of 410 schools. Work of construction of buildings of 54 Ashram Schools and Post Basic Ashram School is in progress. The work of construction of buildings for 35 Post Basic Ashram Schools and  Ashram Schools is to be included in the budget during the year 1999-2000. In view of the delay in construction of buildings through the Public Works Department, Government has got constructed 2300 semi-permanent sheds since 1985-86 upto 1998-99 through the Maharashtra Small Scale Industries Development Corporation and the Government has recently entrusted to the Corporation construction of 169 semi-permanent sheds and  ancillary structures in the year 1999-2000. As Central Government's scheme, Thane, Nashik, Amravati and Nagpur region four public schools have been started in the year 2000-2001.

At present there are 507 aided Ashram Schools in the State out of which 161 Ashram Schools have been upgraded to Post Basic Ashram Schools (adding standards 8 to 10). In these Ashram Schools, about 1.34 lakh students have been enrolled in the year 1999-2000. These voluntary agencies get 100% grant on the salary of the teaching and non-teaching staff and maintenance grant at the rate of Rs. 335 per student per month.  In addition to this, to meet contingency expenditure on account of  furniture, building repairs, books and notebooks, writing instruments, uniforms, bedding, utensils etc., a grant of 8% and 12% on the salary of the teaching and non-teaching staff is paid to the Ashram Schools and Post Basic Ashram Schools respectively. To enable the institution to construct own buildings, grant equal to 75% of the actual expenditure certified by the Public Work Department or Rs. 3 lakh, whichever is less is paid to primary Ashram Schools.   In the case of Post Basic Ashram Schools, this limit is Rs. 5 lakh.

The norms for starting a new Ashram School are that there should be tribal population of two to three thousand in hilly, remote and inaccessible areas (in other places  five to seven thousand). After the places are identified by the field officers of the Tribal Development Department, the same are advertised in the local newspapers and applications are invited from the willing non-governmental organizations in the prescribed form along with a chalan of Rs. 1000. For the sanction of new Ashram Schools, a Committee under the Chairmanship of Minister (Tribal Development) has been formed. In the first year of sanction, first two standards are started. Accordingly, it takes 6 years to complete the growth of the Ashram School. Government also considers favourably applications for upgradation of primary Ashram Schools into Post Basic Ashram Schools.

In these Ashram Schools, 40 resident students and 10 day scholars are admitted in a class. All these students should be tribals only. However, wards of the government servants and Ashram School employees are allowed to be enrolled as day scholars upto a maximum limit of five students in each class.  If the capacity is fully utilised and still tribal students in the vicinity of the Ashram School village are desirous of seeking admission in the Ashram School, the institution running the school is allowed to open an additional division in the respective class after obtaining approval of the Government.

Government hostels have been started at divisional/district/tahsil places in order to attract the tribal students to pursue higher studies. There are 188 government hostels (124 for boys and 64 for girls) in the State. These hostels provide accommodation to 15,170 tribal students (10,200 boys and 4,970 girls).  The location of new government hostels is decided on the basis of total population of tribals,  educational facilities and number of tribal students in the vicinity.

Free lodging and boarding facilities are available in the Government hostels. Besides this, other facilities like school uniforms, bus passes, medical facilities etc. are also provided. While the mess is run by the Government at district and tahsil places, this is done on contract basis at divisional level; in case it is not available. maintenance allowance of Rs. 375 per month is given to each inmate. In addition, all inmates are given a monthly allowance of Rs.150 at divisional places and Rs. 25 at other places to meet incidental expenses.

The Post Matric Scholarship Scheme has been introduced to enable backward class students whose financial condition is poor to pursue higher education. This is a centrally sponsored scheme which is implemented by the State Government, which is responsible to meet the level of expenditure in the last year of the previous Five Year Plan as committed liability. Expenditure over and above this is sanctioned as central assistance. The prevailing monthly rates of scholarship for hostellers vary from Rs. 150 (for students in 11th and 12th standards) to Rs. 425 (for students studying medical, engineering and other professional degree courses).  The rates for day scholars range from Rs. 90 to 190.  Maintenance allowance at these rates and full fee exemption are available for all students whose parents do not have annual income above Rs. 38,220.  This ceiling is Rs. 50,920 in respect of  students in medical, engineering and other professional degree courses.  Other students whose parents’ incomes are  between these limits get half the maintenance allowance and full fee exemption.