Move to rename BMC schools in English draws ire from BJP

On the eve of Marathi language day, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday opposed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) decision to rename the municipal schools as Mumbai Public Schools.

The BMC in its annual budget this year announced that along with affiliating the schools with ISC and CBSE boards, the names of the schools will also be changed. Most of the municipal schools are named after prominent personalities of Maharashtra and the BJP has alleged this is an attack on the culture of the state.

"The new National Education Policy (NEP) gives priority to native language of the students, while on the contrary the civic administration has decided to rename the schools into Mumbai Public Schools, which is in English," said Bhalchandra Shirsat, senior corporator and spokesperson of the party in BMC.