Mumbai, April 4 -- Thousands of employees working under the Samagra Shiksha Scheme have been left without jobs after the programme came to a sudden halt, bringing several key education activities across Maharashtra to a standstill. The centrally funded scheme supported school education from pre-primary to Class 12. Considered a backbone of school education, it helped manage key activities like UDISE+ data management, learning programmes, school quality assessments, and distribution of textbooks and uniforms and efforts to bring out-of-school children back into classrooms. The scheme came to an abrupt end on March 26, and contractual appointments of employees expired on March 31. Typically, employees were hired for six months, followed by a one-month break, after which they were reappointed. This year, fresh appointments were expected from April 2, but no orders have been issued. With the scheme halted, around 3,800 employees across state, district and taluka levels have lost their jobs overnight. The administration also remains in the dark, with no official communication regarding the future of the scheme. The affected workforce includes engineers, programme officers, computer programmers, MIS coordinators, accounts staff, research assistants and data entry operators. Officials fear that without these employees, the implementation of several schemes could slow down or even come to a halt. "Many of us have been working for years, and now we are left with no income and no clarity about what will happen next," said a staff member who has worked with the programme for over eight years. Meanwhile, State Project Director Sanjay Yadav said the state has sought guidance from the Central Government on the next course of action following the scheme's end....