ABVP urges Maharashtra not to shut Marathi schools, meets Minister of State Pankaj Bhoyar
An ABVP delegation told School Education Minister of State Pankaj Bhoyar that low enrolment should not be a reason to close Marathi and government schools.
A delegation of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) met Minister of State for School Education Pankaj Bhoyar. The two sides discussed in detail several issues concerning school and junior college education in the state. Along with the 15-point memorandum it had earlier submitted to the government, the ABVP presented suggestions and demands on admissions, teacher recruitment, recognition of schools, strengthening Marathi schools, irregularities in examinations, private tuition classes and problems with online processes.
The ABVP demanded that, instead of closing Marathi and government schools on the basis of low enrolment, a separate action plan and a special task force be created to improve their quality.
It also demanded a high-level inquiry into paper leaks in the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) and other examinations, with strict action against the guilty. It further sought full details of the 2016 TET paper leak in Kolhapur and of the action taken on it.
The ABVP said admissions to Class 11 often drag on for a long time even after the academic year begins, affecting students' studies. Online admission has improved transparency, it said, but technical glitches, errors in seat allotment and difficulties faced by village students in filling out online forms persist. It demanded an effective system to resolve these. Making Class 12 admissions and changes of college easier was also discussed.
The delegation also demanded that vacant teaching posts be filled immediately, that a fixed annual timetable be issued for the TET and TAIT examinations, and that schools in villages and remote areas be given essential basic facilities.
The ABVP demanded an end to unethical collusion between schools, junior colleges and private tuition classes, regulation of fees for integrated tuition, and a proper gap between the timings of schools and colleges and those of tuition classes. Recognition of schools, Aadhaar verification, technical problems on the U-DISE website and various questions from teachers were also discussed in detail.
A proposal was also made for a separate dialogue with principals of junior colleges in Mumbai and nearby areas, to discuss the admission process and education issues. The ABVP said detailed suggestions on the online process, admission allotment and school recognition would be submitted to the government.
ABVP office-bearers present included Western Maharashtra state secretary Atharva Kulkarni, Devgiri state secretary Varunraj Nannavare, Konkan state joint secretary Shantanu Biroje, Mumbai metropolitan secretary Abhishek Pawar, and Mumbai metropolitan joint secretary Sanika Joshi and Alka Yadav.
