Mumbai; Maharashtra government has warned schools that Marathi must be taught in every institution. School Education Minister Dada Bhuse said in the state assembly that schools which do not teach Marathi may lose their official recognition.The issue was raised after complaints that some international schools in Mumbai are not giving importance to Marathi. Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction) MLA Haroon Khan said many of these schools either do not teach Marathi or keep it only as a third language.
Replying to the concern, Bhuse said Marathi is a compulsory subject for all schools in Maharashtra. He also said the government will check schools again in the next academic year. If any school is found breaking the rule, strict action will be taken.The assembly also discussed problems related to private pre-primary schools. MLAs Manisha Chaudhary, Yogesh Sagar and Vikram Pachpute said many nursery schools charge very high fees and there is no proper control over them. They also pointed out that some schools take interviews of parents and small children during admissions.
The minister said all private pre-primary schools will now have to register with the government. So far, more than 12,000 schools have completed registration and the rest have been asked to do it soon. A new law for pre-primary schools will also be introduced before the next academic year. It will include rules about classroom size, toilets, transport safety and school fees. The government has also fixed the teacher-student ratio. There must be one teacher for every 20 students.
During the discussion, BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar raised the issue of fee payments for girls. He said the government should use technology like AI to make sure the money reaches students on time. Minister Chandrakant Patil replied that the government currently pays six months of fees at a time and will study new systems to make the process faster.
There was also discussion about admissions under the Right to Education Act. MLA Pravin Datke asked about the distance rule for students. The minister said small children should get schools within one kilometre. However, if there is no school nearby, the distance may be extended up to three kilometres.