BMC shuts down 32 vernacular schools over the past decade

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has closed down 32 civic body-run vernacular schools in the last ten years, predominantly impacting Marathi and Urdu medium institutions. This information was revealed through a Right to Information (RTI) application by activist Godfrey Pimenta. The closures have raised concerns about access to education for marginalized and economically disadvantaged sections of society.

MUMBAI: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has closed down 32 civic body-run vernacular schools in the last ten years, predominantly impacting Marathi and Urdu medium institutions. Activist Godfrey Pimenta unearthed this information through a Right to Information (RTI) application.

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Pimenta’s inquiry revealed that out of 24 wards, only E and R central wards provided details, while F south ward claimed to have no relevant data. The data obtained through RTI exposed the closure of 14 Marathi, 2 Gujarati, 10 Urdu, and one unknown medium school in Byculla (E ward). In the Borivali area (R central ward), BMC shut down 2 Marathi, 1 Urdu, 1 Kannada, and 1 Tamil medium school.

Expressing concern over the impact of shutting down municipal schools in regional languages, Pimenta said, “This will impact education access to marginalised and economically disadvantaged sections of society. As I speculated that if information from all 24 wards were available, the number of closed schools over the past decade could exceed 150.”

Addressing the issue in the E ward, Aamir Ansari, principal of Madni High School, proposed the establishment of model schools in each vernacular language to attract more parents. Shamshad Rahim, a parent of two students, revealed that in 2019, when an Urdu medium school closed due to a declining number of students, BMC officials suggested relocating to another Urdu medium school 35 minutes away. Unable to comply, Rahim discontinued his children’s admission, now facing the financial burden of paying ₹40,000 annually for each child in an unaided school closer to home.

Sushil Shejule, coordinator of the Marathi School Management Association, held BMC responsible and called for the immediate appointment of an expert committee to address the matter. Despite attempts, BMC education officials remained unavailable for comment.