The Maharashtra government has announced a major policy shift, merging separate boys’ and girls’ schools into co-educational institutions, bringing an end to the decades-old single-gender school system.
Under the new directive, any aided or government-run boys’ and girls’ schools operating within the same premises will be required to merge and function as a single co-educational institution under one registration number, as per the TOI report.
The order, made by the School Education and Sports Department, is an amendment of previous government decisions in 2003 and 2008. The order came after a directive by the Bombay High Court in Petition No. 3773/2000, which announced that boys and girls should not have separate schools for them, according to the media reports.
Fostering Equality and Balanced Learning
The government, as per the claim, said co-education promotes gender equality, respect, and collaboration, ideals integral to contemporary education. The government statement explained that learning alongside one another prevents gender discrimination in the early stages of life and provides equal opportunities for boys and girls.
Implementation Under Education Commissioner
The Commissioner (Education) has been empowered by the state government to implement policy and carry out school mergers. Separate schools that want to be converted into co-educational schools may apply for permission.
Most Maharashtra Schools Already Co-Ed
According to the UDISE+ 2024–25 report, of Maharashtra's 1.08 lakh schools, 0.74% are boys-only and 1.54% are girls-only. The rest are already co-educational, indicating that the new policy will affect a small but important section of schools.
