‘What steps were taken to save Marathi schools?’

Nagpur: Peeved over dwindling number of Marathi schools in the city, the Nagpur bench of Bombay high court on Monday asked the civic body what steps it had taken to save them from closure.
A division bench comprising justices Ravi Deshpande and Vinay Joshi also directed the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) to explain its stand on parents, who are willing to admit their wards into Marathi schools.

The court’s directives came while hearing a PIL by Bhartiya Durbal Samaj Vikas Sanstha through its president Liladhar Kohale and secretary Dheeraj Bhisikar. THe respondents were told to reply within four weeks.

The petitioners, through counsel Ashutosh Dharmadhikari, knocked HC’s doors after it came to fore that NMC had closed 34 of the 81 Marathi schools due to lack of students.

Even the Maharashtra government had admitted this fact during the assembly session in July while replying to a starred query by MLC Anil Sole and others. Then, minister of state for home (urban) Ranjit Patil informed that students from these schools were adjusted into nearby NMC schools, as mandated by the RTE Act.

He suggested that these schools should be converted into semi-English medium to attract students.

The petitioners contended that due to apathy of the government and civic body, Marathi schools are dying a slow death and no concrete steps were taken to save them.

Last year, some parents, school directors and social workers organized a signature campaign to save these schools. They collected over 1,000 signatures and submitted it to NMC, but later denied to accept it. The petitioners produced about 20 parents in Monday’s hearing who are willing to admit their children in Marathi schools.