A large-scale protest has been announced by the Maharashtra State Primary Teachers’ Committee, scheduled to take place across the state on March 17. The demonstration has been organized in response to the government's decision to deny teacher allocations to schools with low student enrolment. It has been claimed by the committee that this move has left over 20,000 teachers surplus while severely affecting rural education.
It has been stated by the committee that the policy violates the Right to Education Act, and repeated demands for its withdrawal have been ignored. Under the ‘Sanch Manyata’ framework, schools with fewer than 20 students in grades 6 to 8 have been deemed ineligible for teacher assignments. Despite continuous protests from educators, it has been alleged that the School Education Department has finalized teacher postings for the 2024–25 academic year without addressing these concerns.
The consequences of this policy have been felt most acutely in remote, tribal, and sparsely populated regions, where access to education has been significantly compromised. According to the committee, students in these areas have been forced to travel long distances to attend school, making education inaccessible for many. Special concerns have been raised regarding female students, who are at a higher risk of dropping out due to these barriers. Fears have been expressed that the government's efforts to reduce dropout rates could be reversed by this policy.
Partial relief had been offered by the government following earlier protests, with a provision for assigning one teacher per low-enrolment school. However, it has been questioned by committee president Vijay Kombe how a single teacher can be expected to handle multiple subjects across different grades effectively.
Additionally, the cluster school system, which had previously enabled students in smaller communities to receive an education locally, has been dismantled due to the policy. The committee has warned that children from marginalized, low-income, and agricultural backgrounds studying in government and aided schools may be pushed out of the academic system as a result.
Despite multiple petitions submitted to government officials and public representatives, no corrective action has been taken. It has therefore been decided by the committee that a statewide dharna and satyagraha will be held on March 17, as officially communicated to the government. The protest is expected to draw participation from thousands of teachers across Maharashtra, as efforts continue to seek the reversal of the policy.
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