Admissions in Marathi schools stagnant
A comparison of school enrolment data over a five-year period in Mumbai shows a major exodus of students towards English medium schools.
According to the medium-wise data provided by the Unified District Information System for Education (U-DISE), while enrolments to Marathi medium schools in 2009-10 was 1.77 lakh and for English medium 2.5 lakh.
In 2014-15, the enrolments in Marathi medium schools has remained stagnant while that in English medium has more than trebled, indicating a massive change in the preferences of Mumbaikars. The enrolment figures are for classes I –XII.
According to the office of the deputy director of education, enrolments of students is an important indicator of the literacy level.
Enrolment-specific data culled out from the U-DISE database over a period of five years shows that while there has been a steady increase in enrolments in English medium schools, enrolment in regional and vernacular medium schools has not seen much change or has diminished.
As per the U-DISE data in 2009-10, enrolments of both boys and girls in English medium schools was 1,92,158 and 1,42,275 respectively out of the 3,56,794 and 3,00,734 total students enrolled in classes I-XII.
Marathi medium schools on the other hand had 93,220 and 84,166 enrolments.
Hindi medium schools with 22,607 and 19,107 had the third highest enrolments.
However, in 2014-15, the enrolments in English medium schools jumped to 8,08,389 that included both boys and girls while in Marathi medium schools it was 2,55,198 and that in Hindi medium schools 89,749.
“It is an alarming situation and if the government does not sit up and take notice, schools offering education in languages other than English will slowly die out,” said former state board chairman Mr J M Abhyankar.
Prashant Redij, principal of a school, Kandivali said, “We have been demanding that the government take note of the problems being faced by regional language schools, but the government has failed to take cognisance of it.”
An official from the deputy director’s office said, “Though the enrolments in non-English medium schools is far less than English schools there is a visible change in the preferences of the Mumbaikars and it is being reflected in the other regions state too.”
