Mumbai: NCP-SP MP Supriya Sule on Friday took strong objection to the Maharashtra School Education Minister Dadaji Bhuse’s announcement for implementing the CBSE pattern from the academic year 2025-26 for Class 1 in government schools, saying that it will be fatal to the classical language Marathi, culture, and tradition and urged the decision be reconsidered as it has been made without taking the stakeholders into confidence.
“Maharashtra has a very bright educational tradition. But it is a very regrettable matter that the government has decided to ignore it and follow other boards. It seems that the state government has planned to completely close the state’s SSC board through this. I fear whether this decision will erase the identity of our Maharashtra which has a rich tradition of education. This decision will be fatal to the classical language Marathi, culture, and tradition. I humbly request the state government to please reconsider this decision,” said Sule in a letter to the Minister.
“Setting aside the state’s rich tradition in education and heading toward the imitation of other boards is deeply distressing. This decision to introduce the curriculum of another board in such a manner seems to suggest that the real objective is to completely shut down the SSC Board, which symbolises the identity of our state. Maharashtra has a grand tradition of saints and social reformers. The saints carried out the work of public education through their devotional poetry and discourses. In such a context, when implementing another board’s curriculum, there is a concern whether our Marathi language, which has been granted the status of a classical language, will be accorded the respect it deserves. The decision is detrimental to the glorious tradition of Marathi literature, art, and culture, and this is truly a painful matter,” she contended.
The NCP-SP lawmaker said that there are still many issues that need to be addressed to ensure quality education – adequate physical infrastructure, a sufficient number of teachers, the burden of non-teaching work, and the unresolved problems of teachers.
“It is extremely shameful that teachers are being driven to suicide due to these unresolved issues. Even regarding the ongoing examination schedule, various organisations and education experts have strongly opposed it and pointed out several technical flaws. Yet the Education Department seems to be adamant about pushing its own narrative. Because of this, there are disruptions in the travel plans of parents who have migrated and wish to return to their native places, leading to significant financial burdens and additional inconvenience for them,” she said.
According to the School Code/MEPS Act, the complete responsibility, authority, and management of student assessment in private schools lies with the school head or the principal. However, without consulting or taking into confidence those who hold this authority, government officials are attempting to strip principals of their rightful powers without any discussion, she said.
Sule claimed there is a growing tendency within the government to act arbitrarily – without obtaining approval from any competent authority, and bypassing constitutional provisions, laws, and rules.
Transferring responsibilities such as curriculum development, textbooks, and teacher training from the Board to the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) without involving the legislature is the height of this arbitrariness. Following this, there have been repeated instances of encroaching upon the rights of others, she alleged.
In reality, any changes made must be submitted for approval to the competent authorities, but this process is being ignored. By giving the SCERT all the powers, both the Board and Balbharati have been sidelined. “This clearly shows that such an important decision regarding education has been made without consulting experts and scholars in the education field,” Sule alleged.
(IANS)
