An ambitious plan by the Maharashtra government to send thousands of its youth to Germany as skilled professionals has hit a major roadblock, failing to deliver placements nearly two years after its launch.
The Stalled German Dream
In a significant move, the state of Maharashtra signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the German state of Baden-Wurttemberg almost two years ago. The core promise was to provide 10,000 skilled individuals from Maharashtra to address workforce needs in Germany. However, this much-publicized initiative has not seen a single candidate successfully migrate under the scheme so far.
This revelation came to light in a reply to a calling attention motion by SP MLA Rais Shaikh. The state has already invested Rs 5 crore solely on publicity for the program, which officials credit for generating over 30,000 registrations. A total of Rs 76 crore was earmarked for the entire project.
Language Hurdles and Pilot Project Challenges
The primary stumbling block appears to be language proficiency. The state's school education department reported that 32,167 candidates registered for German language training. A pilot project was initiated in Sindhudurg and Kudal, where 107 candidates from various trades, including nursing, were selected.
While 81 of these candidates cleared the internal A1 level German exams, almost none could pass the subsequent, more advanced A2 level examination. This failure at the A2 stage effectively barred their path to Germany under the program's requirements.
Official Response and Revised Timeline
Rahul Rekhawar, Director of the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), addressed the delays. He stated that this is the first scheme of such scale signed by any Indian state. Rekhawar acknowledged the language challenge, noting that many candidates are not graduates, making German language acquisition difficult.
Corrective measures are being implemented. Training for zilla parishad schoolteachers in German has begun, with some teachers reportedly reaching the B1 proficiency level, so they can eventually train students. SCERT has received conditional letters of association from some institutions for language training, though formal permissions are pending. Fifteen German language training centres have been established in Mumbai.
Rekhawar provided a new, extended timeline, indicating that candidates might now proceed to Germany only by December 2026. He emphasized that discussions with Baden-Wurttemberg are ongoing and procedures for the pilot project are in their final stages, asserting that steady progress is being made.
The project's future now hinges on overcoming the significant language barrier and finalizing international processes, as Maharashtra's youth await the promised overseas opportunity.
