Why Maharashtra’s only Gondi-medium boarding school faces the threat of closure | Mumbai news

In 2022, the school was issued a show-cause notice by the Block Education Officer, who asserted that it was “not approved” as it did not have the permission of the state education department, as required under the Right to Education (RTE) Act. However, the village council still maintains that it has the “authority” to establish schools to help the local community, given its position as a government body.

According to the 2011 Census, about 4.5 lakh people in Maharashtra and over 29 lakh in the rest of India speak Gondi. (Photo: Special Edition)

The idea of ​​establishing a Gondi-medium school struck the local council a few years ago. Apart from making education easily accessible to such children, the council felt that it would also preserve their traditional language and values. Until the show cause notice is given in 2022, the school had plans to add classes beyond Class 6.

The notice, which asks the school why it should not be closed, also mentions a fine of “Rs 10,000 per day” if it continues to remain open. In response to the closure notice, the village council has moved the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court.

Devasay Atla, who is in charge of the local council and the school’s management committee, says that the residential areas for children from nearby areas have led to more admissions inquiries than before. “However, we cannot accept new students at this time. Due to the ongoing court case, we cannot improve our existing infrastructure to accommodate more students.”

He adds, “We started with 20 students and a few teachers. Currently, nearly 70 boys and girls are taught by five teachers. The increase in enrollment figures over the past few years has proven the need for a Gondi-medium school in the area.”

As of 2011 census, about 4.5 lakh people in Maharashtra and more than 29 lakh in the rest of India speak Gondi. The village is located in Dhanora taluka of Gadchiroli district, located in the main Gondwana region. Home to a large number of people from the Gond community, this region includes parts of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, among others.

Residents of Mohgaon village say that before the school was started, children from the Gond community were admitted to Marathi schools run by the Zilla Parishad for generations but they “couldn’t understand the concepts and the curriculum”.

Although the Gondi-medium school follows the Maharashtra Board’s curriculum, the state board has no Gondi curriculum or textbooks in the language itself. To fill that gap, its teachers adapted the Gondi curriculum from neighboring Chhattisgarh, which has Gondi-medium schools.

“We use books from Chhattisgarh to teach the language. For all other subjects, we use Maharashtra Board’s Balbharati books,” said Shehsrao Gawade, a teacher at the school.

Starting with the basics of Gondi, children gradually switch to English-language textbooks issued by the board for subjects such as mathematics and science. For ease of understanding, the teaching method is always in their mother tongue. “It is easier for them to understand concepts when they are taught in a language they understand,” added Gawde.

Apart from making education accessible to children from the Gond community, the council feels that it will also preserve their traditional language and cultural heritage. (Photo: Special Edition)

Shravan Taram, representing the local council in the Supreme Court, says, “We have prayed to withdraw and set aside the show-cause notice, which is unconstitutional in terms of the provisions of the Fifth Bench, which aims to ensure the economy and education. the growth of tribal communities.”

Asked whether a local government council can open a school without getting permission from the state government, Gadchiroli education officer Babasaheb Pawar says there is no provision that allows a local council to “independently” start a school.

“Although we are happy with this plan, the school must get the right permission from the state government to continue working. Apart from this, it remains unknown. This means that the children who are registered there are not included in the government’s education data and they miss out on benefits such as lunch, uniform and textbooks,” he said.

According to the education officer, if the Gondi-medium school is closed, the students will be taken to other schools.

Pointing out that the school was started to meet the educational needs of local children, the head of the council, Atla, insists that a “complete procedure” was followed before it was started, including issuing a decision regarding this decision. “It is a community residential school, not for profit. All costs are assessed by the local council. Food and other school supplies come from local farmers,” he said.