Row over Marathi Diwas in Mumbai schools

MUMBAI: Schools in the city will have to conduct celebrations and activities on February 27 to mark Marathi Bhasha Divas. The office of the deputy director of the Mumbai division issued a circular to all schools on Tuesday following a request from the students’ wing of a political party.
Deputy director Bhimrao Phadtare has told education inspectors to instruct all schools in the city to host activities.“The day is very important as Marathi is the language of the entire state. Renowned poet and Gyanpeeth award winner, V V Shirwadkar, also known as Kusumagraj, was born on this day and hence the day has special importance,” read the circular
The Maharashtra Navnirman Vidyarthi Sena (MNVS) had written to the school education department demanding that all schools celebrate the day to make students aware of the language. “It is very important that students know its importance and the best way to do it is through schools. We are glad the education department has issued the circular. Hopefully, all schools will conduct activities,” said Chetan Pednekar, vice-president, MNVS.
The MNVS had earlier demanded that the education department tell schools to have a five-day holiday for Ganeshotsav. While the department had obliged in 2013, it let schools decide in 2014.
Schools will have to make last-minute arrangements as the circular has yet to reach them. Some schools have been celebrating the day for some years now. “We have been acknowledging the day even before. The celebration included flyers on the notice board and speeches by teachers. With exams round the corner, a lavish celebration is not in the picture,” said Minakshi Valke, principal, V N Sule Guruji School, Dadar.
Adding another day to the list of celebrations at the last minute has not gone well with schools. “Until last year, the schools were including awareness about the language during the Maharashtra Day celebrations on May 1. With this circular, we will have to do it on two days, which will mean another day without academics,” said a teacher of a school in Andheri.
Earlier this month, Mumbai University had instructed colleges to celebrate the day. According to a Right to Information application by the MNVS, 164 of over 600 colleges of Mumbai University had celebrated the day in 2014.