Marathi Mandatory In All Schools, Action Against Violators: Bhuse

Mr. Bhuse was responding to concerns raised in the Legislative Assembly over the declining number of students in Marathi-medium schools across the State.

Members from both the ruling and opposition benches — including Vikram Pachpute, Pravin Datke, Rohit Pawar, Amit Deshmukh and Jitendra Awhad — flagged the deteriorating condition of Marathi schools and falling enrolment. Mr. Pachpute said Marathi was not being used in the State as it should be, attributing this to systemic issues in education. He cited the government’s written reply, which said parents’ preference was increasingly shifting towards English-medium schools, leading to a decline in admissions in Marathi-medium institutions.

Over the past 15 years, this trend has resulted in the reduction of about 72,000 teaching and non-teaching posts across nearly 22,000 schools in the State.

Replying to the questions, Mr. Bhuse said the government had taken several measures to boost enrolment in Marathi schools, including timely distribution of uniforms and books. Under the National Education Policy, the “Nipun Maharashtra” initiative is being implemented for students who lag in reading, writing and mathematics. “Special classes are arranged to bring such students into the mainstream,” Mr. Bhuse said.

The minister added that schools are being modernised under the PM SHRI Schools scheme and teachers are being trained, while steps are also being taken to reduce the burden of non-teaching work.

Congress MLA Amit Deshmukh asked whether the government would ensure Marathi is compulsory in boards that are yet to implement the rule. Mr. Bhuse replied that teaching Marathi is mandatory in all schools, and assured effective implementation with action against violators.

Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar also sought clarification on whether Marathi was compulsory in schools of other language mediums. Reiterating the government’s stand, Mr. Bhuse said inquiries would be conducted and action taken if any school was found not teaching Marathi.

The minister said efforts were being made at multiple levels to prevent student dropouts. In Satara and Sangli, 540 Marathi schools have been upgraded into modern schools. Additionally, 477 Adarsh Schools and 827 PM SHRI Schools have been established to increase enrolment in government and local body schools. All facilities are being provided free of cost in Marathi schools from Classes 1 to 8.

He further said that, based on student strength, 1,92,584 teaching posts have been sanctioned across 17,263 private secondary schools in the State, while 49,543 teaching posts have been approved in 6,963 primary schools.