Mumbai: Minister for school education Dada Bhuse on Friday reiterated that Marathi is a compulsory subject for schools of all boards and languages in Maharashtra.He was responding to questions raised in the assembly. Bhuse also said that a study group had been set up to regulate fees for primary and secondary schools in the state. On the question of Marathi schools, Bhuse said, “We plan to increase enrolment in Marathi schools by 25% in 2026-27.” He said enrolment in Marathi schools had declined in the span of a decade, but this was largely because of the Aadhaar verification exercise carried out by schools. Enrolment in Marathi-medium schools in Maharashtra dropped by 6 lakh between 2012-13 and 2023-24. “It fell from 2.18 crore in 2012-13 to 2.12 crore in 2023-24,” the minister said. Bhuse also said in the assembly that those who criticise the decline in enrolment in Marathi schools themselves prefer to send their children to English-medium schools. “People who complain don’t want to send their child to a Marathi school in their village and prefer an English-medium school which is 25km away,” he said. The issue was raised in the House by MLAs Vikram Pachpute, Praveen Datke and others who said they were concerned by the closure of Marathi schools and the lack of teachers and facilities.
