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Education Row in Mumbai! BMC’s plan to switch 1,300 students to online mode sparks anger; citizens gear up for protest at HQ.
- by Webdesk
- 12 Aug 2025
Source: The Times Of India
Mumbai: A wave of anger has erupted after a civic-run school in Colaba decided to move all classes for 1,300 English medium students to online mode. The decision came after the municipal corporation’s school infrastructure department declared the school building unsafe for use. This move impacts nearly half of the total 2,800 students enrolled in the institution, which has Marathi, Urdu, Kannada, and English medium sections.
On Monday, parents and students of Colaba Municipal School staged a protest, expressing outrage over the sudden shift to virtual learning. Former BJP corporator from Colaba, Makarand Narwekar, condemned the decision and warned that if the BMC fails to provide an alternative physical location for classes within two days, a large-scale protest march involving all parents and students will be held at the BMC headquarters.
While arrangements were made for the Marathi, Urdu, and Kannada medium students to be shifted to nearby schools within the locality, the same could not be done for the English medium students. Authorities have been unable to secure physical classrooms for them, resulting in these students being told to continue their education online until further arrangements are made.
Calling the decision hasty and unfair, Narwekar said, “This building is far from being a ruin. Just two years ago, it underwent repairs. At most, some minor fixes are needed, but shutting down the entire school and endangering the future of so many children will not be tolerated. The time has come for IAS officers, who are sitting comfortably in air-conditioned offices at the BMC, to wake up and understand the ground reality. If an alternative space is not secured for these students in the next two days, all students and parents will march to the BMC headquarters in protest.”
A senior BMC official responded by saying, “We are in the process of trying to accommodate all the children in a BMC school located near the MTNL office in Colaba. We are also in discussions with a few private institutions to use their vacant classrooms so that the students can continue their education without disruption.”
However, education activists and teacher representatives have strongly criticised the way the situation has been handled. Shivnath Darade, a member of the Maharashtra State Teachers Council, remarked, “The authorities could have easily informed parents and students before the academic year began. That way, they could have made the necessary adjustments in time. Instead, more than a month into the school year, students have suddenly been forced into online classes without proper planning or preparation.”
Parents have expressed deep concern about the impact of this sudden change on their children’s learning, particularly since many families in the area lack the resources for uninterrupted online education. Several parents said that the move not only affects academic progress but also deprives students of essential social interaction and extracurricular activities that are only possible in a physical school environment.
Local leaders and education rights groups are now pressuring the BMC to find a quick solution, stressing that education should not be interrupted due to infrastructure issues, especially when safer and more practical alternatives exist. The Colaba Municipal School, which has been a prominent institution for years, is now at the centre of a heated debate over infrastructure safety, administrative decision-making, and the prioritisation of students’ welfare.
The protest momentum appears to be building, with parents determined to ensure their children return to a classroom environment. As the deadline set by Narwekar draws near, all eyes will be on the BMC’s next move — whether it acts swiftly to arrange an alternative or faces a major demonstration at its headquarters.
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