From 461 to 421: How did Mumbai’s Marathi schools dwindle over six years?

Marathimedium schools in Mumbai are witnessing a troubling decline with the number of schools dropping from 461 in 2019ndash20 to just 421 in 2024ndash25 a reduction of 40 schools or 87 per cent in just six yearsMore alarmingly is the student enrolment which has fallen by a staggering 35 per cent that is from 132 lakh to 85500 a drop of nearly 47000 studentslsquoHighest declinersquoData from the school education department has revealed that South Mumbai has witnessed the highest decline with the steepest percentage drop both in the number of schools from 110 to 90 and students from 24219 to 14924 The area alone has seen the closure of 20 Marathimedium schools in the past six yearsThe possible closure of Nabar Guruji Vidyalaya in Dadar mdash a largely Marathispeaking areamdashreported by midday earlier this month has drawn attention to a deeper ongoing issue ldquoThe data shows a steady decline not just in student enrolment but in the overall presence of Marathimedium schools across Mumbai and its neighbouring districtsrdquo said Girish Samant trustee of AB Goregaonkar School managed by the Goregaonbased Shikshan Mandal TrustSince 2019 a total of 40 Marathimedium schools have shut down Data shows that over 50000 students affected by these closures have shifted to other mediums and school boards mainly Englishmedium institutions ldquoI understand that parents too are choosing to move away from Marathimedium schools but we need a think tankmdashan expert panel mdash to study the issue and explore ways to address this growing problemrdquo said Srimantini JadhavRaoAction necessarySushil Shejule from Marathi Abhyas Kendra a group advocating for the preservation of Marathi education said ldquoThis decline has been visible for years Yet neither the ruling party nor the opposition nor even those who champion the Marathi language politically have taken serious steps to address the crisis It is not too late but immediate action is necessaryrdquo he saidldquoOne of the key reasons behind the shift away from Marathimedium schools experts believe is the stark difference in infrastructure While Englishmedium and private board schools may also suffer from under qualified staff they attract parents with modern facilities air conditioned classrooms updated laboratories and techenabled campuses that Marathi schools often lack We demand urgent government investment to upgrade Marathi schoolsrsquo infrastructurerdquoOn the other hand West Mumbai showed some fluctuation in school numbers with a brief increase in 202324 However the overall trend remains one of steady and consistent decline across all regions of the cityldquoThe data shows how the state is grappling with these figures many of us in the education sector believe that preserving Marathimedium education is not just about language but about cultural heritage and equitable access to quality schooling for all communitiesrdquo added Samant On one hand data from the education department has clearly highlighted the alarming decline in the number of Marathimedium schools across the city On the other hand several educational organisations language experts and organisations advocating for the preservation of Marathi education have united to oppose the Maharashtra governmentrsquos recent decision to make Hindi a compulsory third language for Std I to V as part of their New Education Policy implementation3537Percentage drop of student enrolment in Marathi medium schools in last 6 yearsDeclining number of Marathi schools in MumbaiTotal schools declined from 461 to 421 a drop of 40 schools in 6 years decline by 8737Total students declined from 132 lakh to 85000 a drop of 46798 students decline by 3537South Mumbai saw the steepest percentage drop in both schools from 110 to 90 and students from 24219 to 14924Western Mumbai had the most fluctuation in school numbers a brief rise in 202324atOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params