Maharashtra Government announces shutting down of MIEB

Maharashtra School Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad has announced that the Maharashtra International Education Board will be shut down. The minister was responding to the question raised through a calling attention motion by the ruling government MLC Vilat Potnis in the state Legislative Council. Potnis has asked for the details of the MIEB, it's functioning and the training of the teachers.

Gaikwad while addressing the legislative council said that there were a lot of complaints regarding the lack of transparency in the selection of schools for the affiliation to the MIEB. She also added that no concrete guidelines were issued for formulating the syllabus of the board and so the government has decided to shut down the MIEB in the interest of the students.

The board which was the brainchild of the previous government had been set up in order to provide interdisciplinary education of international standards in Marathi by the former education minister Vinod Tawde. The former minister said that the decision will hinder the growth of Marathi students in the rural areas of the state. he pointed out that while the state government is making Marathi a compulsory language until Class 10 the shut down of the MIEB which provides international level education to Marathi students was a wrong decision.

The former minister further added that the MIEB curriculum was created by the scientists like Dr. Anil Kakodkar, Dr. Vijay Shatkar and Sonam Wangchuk. The former minister also questioned the education minister if she has visited the schools imparting the MIEB curriculum before making the decision.

Around 81 schools in the state received affiliation to the MIEB from which five were located in Mumbai. Officials from the school education department said that the state has until now spent close to Rs. 9 crores on different components of the project and in the 2018-19 academic year 13 Zilla Parishad schools were given affiliation on a pilot basis.

With the announcement of the board shutting down, the parents of the students who have enrolled in the schools affiliated to the board have raised concerns. The parents of over 200 students from Swami Vivekananda Schools have expressed their concerns and said that they are really upset with the announcement as they have invested in upgrading the infrastructure and seeking affiliation. The teachers have also invested money while some were laid off. School principal Janaki Hari questioned the authority of the government in closing the board without any mechanism adding that this move will stain the credibility of the school also question the credibility of the government.

The principal of Holy Cross School Kurla while addressing the media said that the news is a shock added that they have had a good experience with the curriculum and have learned innovative methods of teaching which will not get wasted.

Also Read: Maharashtra Legislative Council Passes bill making Marathi compulsory subject in schools in the state