Just 0.1% of Rs 32kcr Kumbh funds could have saved over 100 schools: SC judge
Justice Prasanna Varale of the Supreme Court expressed alarm over the decline of Marathi-medium schools, emphasizing that enhanced government funding could have prevented the closure of several institutions. He pointed to the dire state of residential schools and reported student fatalities. Justice Varale asserted that education expenditure has not matched the increasing demands of students and…
Supreme Court judge Justice Prasanna Varale expressed worry over the poor state of Marathi-medium schools and insufficient educational infrastructure during a visit to his former school in Nashik. He pointed out that with additional funding, many schools could have been saved from closing down.
Varale emphasized that the state government's expenditure on Kumbh Mela infrastructure, estimated at Rs 32,000 crore, could have been better allocated. He suggested that just 0.1% of this Kumbh allocation could have prevented the closure of more than 100-150 Marathi schools. Varale highlighted the grim conditions in residential schools, citing instances where students had to sleep on the floor due to inadequate facilities and had tragically died from snakebites.
He stressed the need for modernizing education by improving infrastructure such as interactive classrooms, digital screens, early access to computers, and well-equipped laboratories. Varale also noted that while the budget for education had historically been between 8% and 12%, it had recently declined instead of increasing to meet the demands of a growing student population.
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