Mumbai records drop in number of Marathi schools despite govt promoting language

BMC education officer Rajesh Kankal attributes the decline to changing parental preferences. “Most parents prioritize English-medium education. Those who don’t get admission there opt for Marathi medium as a second choice,” he said. However, he noted that overall enrollment in BMC schools, including Marathi-medium, has increased in the past three years.

Despite this, some educators argue that the civic body should take proactive steps to sustain Marathi-medium schools. “Parents may prefer English, but does that justify shutting down Marathi schools? The government must take responsibility for preserving them,” said a principal of a BMC-run Marathi school.

Teachers also questioned the government’s approach. “Rather than enforcing Marathi language policies in non-Marathi schools, the government should strengthen its own Marathi medium institutions,” one teacher said.

The Maharashtra Compulsory Teaching and Learning of Marathi Language in Schools Act, 2020, mandates Marathi instruction in all schools, regardless of the board. However, Sushil Shejule, coordinator of the Marathi School Management Association, criticized the lack of enforcement. “There is no proper monitoring. The government claims to promote Marathi but is failing to protect Marathi-medium schools, which is the real need,” he said.

Earlier this month, the state government introduced a resolution making Marathi mandatory in government and semi-government workplaces. This follows the approval of the broader Marathi Language Policy in October 2024 and the central government’s recognition of Marathi as a ‘classical language’ last year. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also inaugurated the ongoing 98th Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan in Delhi on Friday.

However, educationists and activists believe that all this is just a political eyewash. Shejule said, “Changing trends among parents call for intensified efforts from the government to save Marathi-medium schools. There are no efforts from the government to save and support such institutions.”

Prasad Gokhale, a parent and founder of a social media community with over 100,000 members dedicated to saving Marathi-medium schools, disagreed with the idea that new parents no longer want their children to study in Marathi-medium schools.

“Many parents have complained that they do not find good Marathi medium schools in their locality,” he said. “The decline in the number of Marathi-medium schools proves this. The government should be responsible for ensuring quality Marathi-medium schools in all areas. But instead, the civic body is closing them down,” he added.