Dada Bhuse Announces Major Education Reforms in Legislative Council
MUMBAI, July 1: The Maharashtra government will soon introduce new legislation to regulate pre-primary education and private coaching classes as part of a comprehensive overhaul of the state’s education system, School Education Minister Dadaji Bhuse announced in the Legislative Council.
Replying to a discussion under Rule 260, Bhuse said the proposed Pre-Primary Education Act will establish standards for child safety, infrastructure, play-based learning, and student-teacher ratios. All private pre-primary centres catering to children aged three to six have already been directed to register on the state’s Pre-School Registration Portal, where around 13,800 centres have been enrolled.
The government is also preparing the Private Coaching Classes Registration and Regulation Act, 2026. District-level monitoring committees headed by Collectors have been constituted to ensure coaching institutes comply with Supreme Court guidelines.
Bhuse said the state is upgrading school infrastructure by providing clean drinking water, laboratories, libraries, playgrounds, safe buildings, and digital learning facilities. Dedicated Pink Rooms for girl students from Class VI onwards will be established in all schools within the next year.
Curriculum reforms are progressing under the National Education Policy, with revised syllabi already introduced for Classes II, III, IV, and VI. Updated curricula for Classes X and XII will be implemented in phases over the next two years to strengthen Marathi-medium education.
Highlighting recent initiatives, the minister said more than 35,000 schools participated in the Shala Praveshotsav enrolment drive on June 15. He also noted that over two crore students took part in a statewide Republic Day patriotic programme earlier this year.
To reduce teachers’ administrative workload, the government has merged 14 school committees into four. Around four lakh teachers will receive free digital training through a partnership with Google, while experiential learning will be promoted through educational visits to farms, banks, hospitals, and historical sites.
Bhuse added that textbook distribution is nearly complete, with the remaining revised Class VI books expected by mid-July. Under the school uniform scheme, students will continue to receive ₹600 for two uniforms, with district-level committees monitoring quality and procurement.
The minister also confirmed that the Special Investigation Team probing irregularities in the Shalarth salary portal has submitted its report, and strict action will be taken against those found responsible.
To encourage excellence, the government has announced cash awards of ₹5 crore, ₹3 crore, and ₹1 crore for the top three performing districts, while urging others to adopt best practices from innovative schools in Ahilyanagar, Gadchiroli, Satara, Kolhapur, and Pune.
