MUMBAI, May 13 -- It's not a great report card for Marathi-medium, municipal schools - in the last ten years, across Mumbai, more than 100 Marathi schools have shut, of which 40 closed their doors in the last six years alone. During this period, the number of students in these institutions declined by more than 50,000, as parents increasingly choose to enrol their children in schools under different boards and mediums of instruction, particularly English. Nowhere is this phenomenon more visible than in South Mumbai, where 20 Marathi schools shut between 2019 and 2025 - exactly half the number of schools that closed during this period. The recent case of Nabar Guruji Vidyalaya in Dadar, an old and respected institution in a traditionally Marathi-speaking neighbourhood, has drawn attention to this trend. Currently with just 18 students between Classes 6 to 10, the management has decided to keep the school going till the last student completes Class 10. In 2019-20, there were 461 Marathi-medium schools across Mumbai. By 2024-25, that number has dropped to 421. The student numbers tell a similar story. Six years ago, over 135,000 students were enrolled in these schools. That figure has now plunged to 85,469 - a drop of nearly 50,000 students. The numbers, sourced from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) education department and submitted to the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE), highlight an ongoing decline. In the 2014-15 academic year, the BMC alone ran 368 Marathi-medium schools. That number now stands at 262 - a loss of over 100 schools in just a decade. Many educators and parents say one of the main reasons for this shift is the poor infrastructure in Marathi-medium schools. In contrast, private, English-medium schools, even some with untrained staff, offer better physical facilities, air-conditioned classrooms, spacious science labs, and modern buildings giving the impression of better quality education. "We are qualified as per government standards, but there is a communication gap between the system and urban families," said a teacher from a government-run school. "We haven't been able to reach middle-class and upper-middle-class communities." Another teacher pointed out that several Marathi-medium government schools are equipped with modern amenities like Atal Tinkering Labs and robotics labs. "Unfortunately, efforts to promote these began only after our student numbers started dropping sharply. If we can highlight our Class 10 results and these facilities properly, we can still attract parents. But we need the government's support to make that happen," he said. Sushil Shejule of the Marathi Abhyas Kendra, blamed the government. "This has been happening for years. Despite data being available, neither the government nor any political party, ruling or in the opposition, has taken meaningful action," said Shejule. "Even those who speak about preserving Marathi culture haven't done anything. The situation is serious, but it's still not too late. The government must step in now."...