Minority panel to propose measures to improve Urdu-medium schools in Maharashtra

NEW DELHI: The Maharashtra State Minority Commission will soon submit a proposal to the state government seeking to change all Urdu-medium schools in the state to semi-English medium, an official said on Monday. The commission will also demand that the Marathi language be made mandatory in Urdu schools, he said.

The state minority commission, in a release, said chairman Pyare Khan had organised a meeting with intellectuals from the minority community, representatives from the education sector, lawyers and teachers from Urdu schools in Nagpur on Sunday. During the meeting, academicians and experts raised concerns about the declining quality of education in Urdu medium schools in the state, with several students not being able to write their names, and the institutions also lagged in competitive examinations compared to other schools.

The release said that the commission will propose that all Urdu schools be converted to semi-English medium and Marathi language instruction be made compulsory. "The condition of 90 per cent of the Urdu schools is poor, and students in many schools cannot even write their names correctly. Similarly, in many Urdu schools, teachers are being appointed on fake degrees, and minority students are faced academic losses due to irregularities," he said. Khan said some tough decisions needed to be made for the bright future of students from the minority community and everyone should be ready for these changes and cooperate.