Dhule (Maharashtra) [India], August 25 : Supreme Court Justice Prasanna Varale expressed concern over the closure of Marathi-medium schools, lack of facilities in Ashram schools, tragic deaths of female students forced to sleep on the floor, and inadequate growth in the education budget in Maharashtra, saying greater spending on education could have prevented the shutdown of several schools.
During his address at an event organised by a school in Dhule on Monday, Justice Varale stated that if even 0.1 per cent of the thousands of crores earmarked for the Kumbh Mela, corridors, and various development projects were spent on schools, 100 to 150 Marathi schools would not have shut down.
Justice Varale said, "One thing I realized is that on one hand, our government claims it will provide massive funds for various works. The Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister spoke of providing 34,000 crore rupees for the Kumbh Mela. Then I read news somewhere that 11,000 crore rupees would be spent on a corridor. The government is spending thousands of crores on different development projects."
"I have no objection to this. However, if only 0.1 percent of these thousands of crores--approximately 32 crore rupees--had been spent on schools, the 100 to 150 Marathi schools that have shut down in the state would still be running," he added,
The Justice stated that if Marathi schools continue to close, it is a matter of grave concern. He expressed hope that highlighting these issues would lead to improvements. He also noted that due to a lack of adequate facilities in an Ashram school, female students were forced to sleep on the floor.
He warned that if the situation remains the same, a large number of students who take Marathi as their first language would fail, and this situation needs to change.
"I am speaking outside the conventional box, but my objective is to support efforts being made to better the schools. If someone is striving to improve schools and offering such suggestions, they should be welcomed. I welcome the Education Minister," he said.
The Justice concluded by saying that students should be allowed to study in an open and free environment. They should be provided with good classrooms, good teachers, clean toilets, and pure water. Along with focusing on studies and careers, children should also learn other skills. He appealed to parents to give their children opportunities and let them develop their interests and hobbies, thereby inspiring the students about the importance of education.