Maharashtra government reverses two key education policies

In a recent major policy shift the new Minister for School Education Dada Bhuse scrapped two major decisions implemented by his predecessor Deepak Kesarkar The move which came soon after Bhuse took charge has sparked discussions on whether it reflects the failure of the previous administrationrsquos education policieslsquoOne State One UniformrsquoThe first decision to be revoked was the lsquoOne State One Uniformrsquo policy which aimed to standardise school uniforms across Maharashtra However it has now emerged that thousands of students have still not received their uniforms causing widespread inconvenience and raising concerns about its execution The policy has been under fire from across corners after thousands of students did not receive their uniformsUnder the policy announced by Kesarkar the responsibility for sewing uniforms was entrusted to a selfhelp group registered under the Maharashtra Arthik Vikas Mahamandal MAVM However this group has come under scrutiny due to alleged shortcomings in executionHighlighting issues in the policy Vijay Kombey state president of the Maharashtra State Primary Teachers Committee said ldquoNearly 5060 per cent of schools in Vidarbha have not received uniforms and the situation in other regions including Mumbai Thane Palghar and Raigad is no better Even those students who have received their uniforms are complaining about the poor quality of the fabric This is the second year since the scheme was announced yet the government has failed to implement its own policy effectively I consider this a complete failurerdquoSpeaking on scrapping of the lsquoOne State One Uniformrsquo policy Kombey added ldquoFrom the academic year 202425 the state government decided to implement the lsquoOne State One Uniformrsquo free uniform scheme through the School Management Committee as was previously done Considering the challenges faced in its implementation the Maharashtra State Primary Teachers Committee had consistently advocated for the scheme to be continued in its earlier format We welcome the governments decision to revert to the previous systemrdquoCombined notetextbooksThe second decision to be scrapped is the integration of blank notebook pages into textbooks introduced in the 202324 academic year to reduce the weight of school bags However experts and educators pointed out that this approach would not effectively reduce the burden and could instead create practical difficulties for students Reports suggest that the government is now reconsidering several decisionsOther policies need reviewThe swift rollback of these policies has also reignited demands for reconsideration of other controversial decisions such as the cluster school scheme and contractual teacher appointments which were implemented despite public resistance Education experts and teacher organisations argue that these policies were imposed without adequate consultation leading to confusion and dissatisfaction among stakeholdersExpert SpeakSushil Shejule president of Aamhi Shikshak expressed concerns over these abrupt policy changes stating ldquoThe immediate reversal of two major decisions from Deepak Kesarkars tenure right at the onset of this new government raises a critical questionhellip should this be considered a failure of the previous administrationrsquos education policiesThe first decision concerning school uniforms remains a shocking issue Reports indicate that millions of students have yet to receive their uniforms which is a grave injustice The second decision involving the addition of blank pages to textbooks to supposedly reduce the weight of school bags would have caused more difficulties instead of solving the problemIn addition to these concerns the cluster school scheme and contractual teacher appointments were implemented despite public opposition These policies too should be reconsidered and immediately revoked to ensure fairness for both students and teachersThis governments recent decision to reverse these policies is a welcome step toward student welfare Moving forward any key educational decisions should be made in consultation with a committee comprising parents teachers school administrators education experts and officials Future policies should only be implemented after thorough discussions based on their recommendationsrdquoArundhati Chavan president of the Parents Teachers Association PTA United Forum also voiced her objections She said ldquoThis system has been in place for a year now First stakeholders especially parents and students have to accept and adjust to new decisions Just as they begin to adapt the policy is abruptly scrapped Why are these initiatives not given enough time to determine their effectiveness Why are they being withdrawn within a year And if these were flawed projects why were they not opposed earlierrdquo ldquoThis backandforth approach is a complete waste of money time and resources We strongly object to this inconsistencyrdquo Chavan saidlsquoShould have consulted mersquoExpressing his dissatisfaction over the recent decision former school education minister Deepak Kesarkar said he should have been consulted before any policy change but refused to comment furtherVoicesVijay Kombey president Maharashtra State Primary Teachersrsquo CommitteelsquoNearly 5060 per cent of schools in Vidarbha have not received uniforms and the situation in other regions including Mumbai Thane Palghar and Raigad is no better Those who have received uniforms are complaining about the poor quality of the fabric This is the second year of the scheme yet the government has failed to implement it effectivelyrsquoArundhati Chavan president Parents Teachers Association PTA United ForumlsquoThis system has been in place for a year now First stakeholders especially parents and students have to accept and adjust to new decisions Just as they begin to adapt the policy is abruptly scrapped Why are these initiatives not given enough time to determine their effectiveness And if these were flawed projects why were they not opposed earlierrsquoSushil Shejule president Aamhi ShikshaklsquoThe immediate reversal of two major decisions from Deepak Kesarkarrsquos tenure right at the onset of this new government raises a critical questionhellip should this be considered a failure of the previous administrationrsquos education policies Apart from these two schemes the cluster school scheme and contractual teacher appointments also need to be reconsideredrsquo