‘Even 0.1 pc of Kumbh funds could have saved 100 Marathi schools’, says SC judge
Justice PB Varale says govt ready to spend around Rs 34,000 crore for upcoming Kumbh infrastructure and Rs 11,000 on corridor project while state schools lay in decrepit condition
Pointing to the stark contrast in priorities of the Maharashtra government, Supreme Court judge Justice PB Varale said that over 100 Marathi-medium schools could have been saved from shutting down if even 0.1 per cent of the funds allocated for the upcoming Nasik Kumbh Mela were spent on education.
‘Marathi schools could have been saved’
Speaking at an event during a visit to his school in Nasik, Justice Varale referred to the Maharashtra government’s decision to spend Rs 34,000 crore on Kumbh infrastructure and Rs 11,000 crore on a corridor project.
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“Recently, chief minister said the government is spending Rs 34,000 crore on Kumbh infrastructure and Rs 11,000 crore on a corridor project. I have no objection to such spending. But if just 0.1 per cent of the Kumbh allocation of around Rs 32 crore was spent on education, more than 100-150 Marathi schools could have been prevented from shutting down,” he said.
Kumbh Mela fund
The Maharashtra government has reportedly earmarked around Rs 34,732 crore for the Simhastha Kumbh Mela slated for 2027.
The Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Kumbh Mela Authority (NTKMA) commissioner Shekhar Singh recently said around 85 per cent of the earmarked amount will be spent on permanent infrastructure projects that are expected to benefit Nashik and the district for the next 15 to 20 years.
While the NTKMA has approved projects worth Rs 22,425 crore, the state government will spend another Rs 3,545 crore on Kumbh-related works while central agencies will contribute towards projects worth Rs 8,762 crore.
Poor state of residential schools
Pointing to the decrepit state of residential schools, he referred to the incident where three girl students sleeping on the floor of such a school died in Gadhchiroli district due to a snakebite.
“The overall condition of many residential schools remains pathetic,” he said.
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He said the government has failed to keep up with education needs in tandem with the times despite the rising number of students.
“This is despite the rising number of students. There is an urgent need for structural improvements, interactive classrooms, digital screens, early access to computers and modern laboratories in primary and secondary schools to ensure quality education for every student,” TOI quoted him as saying.
114 Marathi schools shut down in 10 yrs
Data by UDISE Plus, an educational management information system run by the Union Education Ministry, in a 2025 report said that 114 Marathi-medium schools run by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) have shut down in the past decade.
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Around 19 Hindi-medium schools and 20 Urdu-medium schools run by the BMC have shut down in the same period, bringing down the total number of schools run by the BMC from 1,252 in 2014 to 1,118 in 2024.
Reports quoting experts have attributed the closure mostly to unsafe school buildings and the preference of parents to send their wards to English-medium schools.