Maharashtra School education minister proposes transfer of management of all state schools to education department

To streamline educational administration across the state, the school education minister has proposed transferring all state schools to School Education dept.

To streamline educational administration across the state, the school education minister Deepak Kesarkar has proposed transferring the management of all schools, currently run by various departments such as rural development, tribal development, and social justice department to the school education department.

Maharashtra: School Education dept proposes transfer of all schools to edu dept

The proposal, which seeks to centralise the administration under one department, is expected to be introduced in the state cabinet meeting soon.

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Kesarkar said, “In recent cabinet meeting we had a discussion on this, and we will move formal proposal in front of cabinet very soon.”

As part of this initiative, tribal ashram schools and other institutions currently under the Tribal Development Department are also set to be integrated with the School Education Department. The integration of tribal ashram schools is expected to address longstanding issues of quality and planning deficiencies within these institutions. Recent discussions between the principal secretaries of the tribal development and school education departments have highlighted these concerns, leading to the current proposal. A high-level official from the school education department confirmed that this matter has reached an advanced stage of discussion within the cabinet.

There are currently 497 government-run ashram schools in the state, catering to 199,416 students. Additionally, 556 subsidized ashram schools serve 241,548 students, while around 155 unaided schools enroll approximately 450,000 students.

The proposed merger of Adivasi Ashram Schools with the School Education Department has been under consideration for over a year.

The Adivasi Department, burdened by the extensive management of these schools, has faced challenges in implementing other development schemes effectively. Some officials have been advocating for this merger, citing quality and educational standards concerns. However, there has been resistance from certain quarters due to potential impacts on their interests.