Even 0.1% of amount spent for Nashik Kumbh Mela could save Marathi medium schools: Supreme Court Justice PB Varale

Supreme Court Justice Prasanna B Varale recently raised serious concerns over the declining budget for education in Maharashtra, contrasting the closure of State-run Marathi medium schools with the massive public expenditure on events like the Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Simhastha or Nashik Kumbh Mela. 

The judge was speaking at an event organised by a high school in Dhule district of Maharashtra, where he had been a student for a few years. The event was an inauguration of 'smart classes'.

In his address, Justice Varale highlighted how essential educational infrastructure continues to suffer despite grand government allocations for other initiatives. He referred to recent announcements regarding government expenditure on the Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Simhastha Kumbh Mela and major infrastructure corridors.

“The government claims to allocate vast funds for various initiatives. The Deputy Chief Minister mentioned ₹32,000 crore and the Chief Minister mentioned ₹34,000 crore for the Kumbh Mela. I read elsewhere about ₹11,000 crore being allocated for a corridor project,” Justice Varale pointed out.

He added that even a tiny fraction of such spending could revive hundreds of struggling educational institutions across the state.

“I have no objection whatsoever to the thousands of crores being spent by the government on various development initiatives. However, if out of these thousands of crores of allocated funds, even just 0.1%—around ₹32 crore—were spent by the government, then 100 to 125 Marathi-medium schools that have closed down across the state would not have shut down."

The judge stressed on the importance of education in regional languages. He shared his personal journey of studying in local municipal and Zilla Parishad Marathi-medium schools up to the 10th grade. He asserted that studying in a regional medium never hindered his career but rather enriched his perspective.

"Learning through the Marathi language gave me a broad, open-minded perspective toward others. My language taught me the values of brotherhood," he noted, quoting 13th-century saint-philosopher Sant Dnyaneshwar and 20th-century poet Suresh Bhat.

Justice Varale also critiqued the declining share of education in public budgets over the years, noting that state allocations have shrunk instead of scaling up to meet the demands of a growing student population.

“At the central level, the budgetary allocation for education used to range between 8%, 12%, and 11%. Naturally, this budget should have increased given the growing student population. Instead, the funding allocated in the budget has decreased, failing to even reach 13% over many years,” he stated.

He cited a recent incident to highlight the dire state of basic amenities in rural schools.

“At a residential ashram school, female students were forced to sleep on the floor due to a lack of proper facilities. Tragically, three girls died from snakebites, and another is currently undergoing treatment in the hospital,” he said.

The judge urged students to develop a strong passion for reading and called upon teachers to inspire learning beyond textbooks.

“My only appeal to you is to do whatever you enjoy and read whatever feels worth reading. Read about those who changed world history,” Justice Varale advised.