The Decline of मराठी Schools in Mumbai- Article

Tanish Patil
Feb 17
6 min read

Updated: Apr 4

(this project is part of MOJO which are done in three different forms of media)

The decline of Marathi medium schools in Maharashtra is a growing concern. Factors like migration, societal pressure, and lack of government support have contributed to this decline. Our special report explores the reasons behind this trend and proposes solutions to preserve Marathi medium education. We spoke with educators and experts to understand the importance of promoting Marathi language and culture and delved into the criticaland discuss ways to revitalize Marathi medium schools in Maharashtra.

~ by Tanish Patil

The decline in Marathi medium public schools in Mumbai run by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has not gone unnoticed and has been a matter of concern to Marathi speakers, educators, and parents. The number fell drastically over the past 10 years. Official data reveals that in 2010-11 there were 413 Marathi civic schools in Mumbai but the number steeply dipped to 280 in 2021-22; in 2023- 24, the count was 262.

The number of students too has been falling in Marathi medium schools in the past decade. This went from 1,16,086 in 2011-2012 to 71,454 in 2015-16 and the number stood at a little over 51,000 in 2022, according to Praja, an analysis and advocacy group on civic issues. The biggest drop was from 2012-13 to 2018-19 when the number of students in Marathi schools shrunk by a whopping 51 percent, its report showed. This corresponds with the decline of the number of students in BMC’s schools.

The trend becomes clear in later years. The highest medium-wise enrollment from 2018-19 to 2021-22 was in BMC’s English medium schools while, in the same period, enrollments in both BMC’s Marathi and Urdu medium schools increased by only two percent, Praja report added. All other public medium schools in Mumbai including Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Gujarati, also saw a decline in the number of students. English medium education gained importance and the language did not intimidate many after the BMC schools implemented the teaching-learning of the language from Class 1 itself and many Marathi medium schools converted to semi-English, say teachers and principals.

There are a host of factors which have contributed to this trend. They range from migration patterns that have taken many working-class families from the city to its far suburbs, such as from the once Marathi-dominant Parel-Lalbaug to Vasai-Virar, and to the societal perceptions of English as a superior language which is now required for better job opportunities, career growth, and enhanced quality of life.

Migration and changing family structures

Inter-city migration is perhaps the biggest reason for the decline in demand for Marathi medium BMC schools and, subsequently, their numbers. R.T. Bhosle, principal of Dnyanvardhini School in Kandivali, a far but thriving suburb of the city, one of the primary reasons for the decline of Marathi schools is the migration of Marathi families. Though a definitive number is hard to come by, anecdotally several families have moved away from Girgaon, Kalbadevi, Dhobi Talao, Tardeo, Dadar, and Mahim besides Parel and Lalbaug to Mumbai’s suburbs in the western and central railway lines as redevelopment transformed the socio-linguistic character of these areas where Maharashtrians and Marathi used to prevail. Correspondingly, the demand for Marathi medium schools decreased.

Additionally, joint families used to live together, and children of a family all studied in nearby schools. However, due to economic factors and housing affordability, many Marathi-speaking families have moved to areas like Vasai, Virar, Panvel, Khopoli, and Kalyan, Also leading to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic further intensified migration, as people sought affordable housing and new business opportunities.

The growing demand for English education

Another contributory factor has been the growing influence of English on society. As Prathamesh from Dnyanvardhini School teacher explains, societal influence plays a significant role in shaping parents’ choices; people have this notion that English will give their children many more job opportunities and, therefore, a better career path in life; lower-class parents take loans to send their children to English medium private schools but do not enroll them in Marathi medium civic schools. “This environment is created in our society that if you learn English then your career is guaranteed but the reality is not like that. If a person has talent, then you can achieve anything. English is just a language. It cannot decide your career. If the person develops skills and abilities then he will go ahead in this life but we don’t have this kind of environment.”

While it may be true, parents are unwilling to take a chance given their own life experiences. As per Anil Patil “ Thinking of today's condition without education one cannot survive in the world and marathi not being a universal language parents cannot depend only on Marathi school”

Institutional and other challenges

There are other factors too and primary among them is the institutional and government support for Marathi medium schools. Anand Ambre, principal of Ahilya Vidya Mandir in Parel-Dadar, points out that government support for Marathi schools has been inconsistent by not releasing or giving the non-salary grants that are essential for running the school. For example, the basic facilities required are stationery, electricity supply, water, and rent for the place if the school is not on BMC premises. With the drying up of BMC grants and maintenance, it has become difficult for the school to keep up its quality of education from 2000 to 2010, As per Anand Ambre in 1986 there were around 2,000 students in the primary section but now the count has come to around 150 only.

An institutional challenge that principals of Marathi medium schools have faced was the introduction of computers around 2010 and society’s acceptance of digitalization of every aspect of life. The public schools have been slow to catch the trend and introduce computers in classrooms or pay attention to how digitalization of their work can help students. This further shifted the parents’ preference towards English medium schools. The developments at the global level too have reinforced this trend, cementing the idea in children that they need a good command of English to go abroad or work in global industries, reinforcing the notion that English is indispensable for success.

In Virar, more than 60 kilometers from Mumbai, which has seen in-migration over the past few years, Vartak Smarak Vidyamandir, a school that has been run for almost 70 years, has witnessed a decline in students from 4,000 to 2,500. According to teacher Sanjay Kelaskar, the government’s failure to recruit teachers and provide adequate funding is the problem. Many students from lower-income backgrounds who cannot afford private education still enroll in Marathi schools but the overall perception of Marathi medium education remains undervalued, according to him.

Parents like Anil Patil and Shubhda Rane express mixed feelings about the decline of Marathi medium schools. While they acknowledge the importance of English for global opportunities, they also take pride in Marathi heritage. Some parents, despite financial constraints, prefer English medium schools due to the belief that their children’s career prospects will be better. Others feel that Marathi medium schools are still capable of providing quality education, but the government and society need to take stronger initiatives to promote and support them.

Shubhda Rane says “If governments declare strict rules for Marathi Medium schools then there is no doubt that Marathi medium education will be equally important or else the status of marathi schools will decrease in the future.”

What is the way out?

Several teachers, including Rupesh Thakur of Vartak School, emphasize that if the government takes proactive steps, Marathi medium schools can be revived. Better and timely government support through providing funds or grants for maintenance, infrastructure, and teacher recruitment on the campus can improve the quality of education in Marathi schools.

Implementing semi-English curricula in Marathi schools can help balance language learning while preserving Marathi education as well. Changing societal attitudes through awareness programs highlighting the success stories of Marathi-medium graduates and introducing policies on the ground level to ensure the survival and relevance of Marathi-medium education can help.

The future of Marathi medium schools depends on collective efforts from the government, educators, and society. While the preference for English education is understandable in today's globalized world, the question that arises is: will there be any Marathi schools left in Mumbai by the academic year 2027-28 if the current trend continues?

Continue on this journey as our writer Tanish Patil delves deeper.