Mumbai: A PIL has been filed before the Bombay high court, challenging the BMC’s decision to close down about 100 municipal schools in the city. Hearing the PIL filed by Nagpada resident Khairunnisa Sultan (60), a retired BMC teacher, a division bench of Chief Justice Swatanter Kumar and justice V M Kanade, asked the corporation to file a reply to the petition within two weeks.
The petitioner claimed that the BMC had shut down over 100 primary and secondary municipal schools all over the city that were imparting education in regional languages.
“The BMC is bound by the constitutional obligation to provide free and compulsory education for all children until they complete 14 years of age,’’ said the petitioner. The PIL also said that the civic body’s decision to shut down the regional language schools was tantamount to discrimination on the grounds of language, religion, caste and place of birth. “The children of poor parents were compelled to work to earn their livelihood as the BMC had withdrawn the benefit of free primary education,’’ said the PIL.
The BMC justified the schools’ closure on grounds that the attendance had dropped but Khairunnisa claimed that the numbers had increased. Advocate A N Mulla, counsel for the petitioner, said due to the closure, children were unable to appear for their exams. However, BMC’s advocate Priti Purandhare said, “The students have been shifted to nearby municipal schools.’’ TNN
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