Mumbai, December 3: Schools in Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Nagpur and other parts of Maharashtra will remain closed on Friday, December 5, as 15 organisations representing school teachers have called for a statewide school shutdown. The "school shutdown" on December 5 has been called to protest against the implementation of the Devendra Fadnavis-led government's new Sanch Manyata policy for the appointment of teachers.

If the Sanch Manyata policy is implemented, nearly 18,000 schools in the state could face closure, and 20,000 to 25,000 teachers and administrative staff will be left jobless under the "disruptive and harmful policy". As per the organisations, the new policy threatens the future of government-aided education. According to a report in Hindustan Times, the school education department of the Maharashtra government had issued a government resolution (GR) notifying the Sanch Manyata policy on March 15, 2025. Maharashtra Legislature’s Winter Session To Be Held From December 8 to 14 in Nagpur Amid Local Body Elections in State.

15 Organisations Call for School Shutdown in Maharashtra Over Sanch Manyata Policy

The Sanch Manyata policy had introduced group recognition of schools and barred allocation of teachers to schools which had fewer than 20 students. In the wake of the Sanch Manyata police, the unions representing teachers and non-teaching staff fear that if the policy implementation process is completed on December 5, thousands of teachers in the state will become redundant and hundreds of aided schools will be forced to shut down. The impact of the Sanch Manyata policy has already been witnessed in Sindhudurg district.

In Maharashtra's Sindhudurg district, the district education officer has ordered the closure of 39 schools and has also begun shifting students to nearby institutions. Speaking about the Sanch Manyata policy, Shamshuddin Attar, conveyor of the Sindhudurg Principals’ Association, said, "The move will force many children to travel 10-15 kilometres every day. We are opposing the move, and have decided to challenge it in the Supreme Court."

Association Opposes Compulsory TET Requirement for Teachers in Maharashtra

Earlier, the Bombay High Court had upheld the March 2024 GR; however, the association said that the Sanch Manyata policy will cause severe disruption in areas that have difficult terrain. The unions which have called for a school shutdown on December 5 have also raised other concerns with the new policy. Vijay Kombe, president, Maharashtra Rajya Prathmik Shikshak Samitee, called the provision that denies subject teachers for classes 9 and 10 in the new policy "unfair and harmful to poor children". Maharashtra School Holiday: Schools To Remain Shut on July 8 and 9 as Teachers Launch Statewide Protest Over Pending Grants and Benefits.

Kombe also said that on Friday, they will be opposing the Teachers' Eligibility Test (TET) requirement for teachers, which has been made compulsory. Meanwhile, JM Abhyankar, President of Maharashtra State Shikshak Sena and legislative council member from Mumbai teachers constituency, has written to schools across the state and urged them to observe closure on December 5 to show collective opposition. He also said that the Sanch Manyata policy could lead to the closure of 25 to 30 night schools in the city.

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(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 03, 2025 11:16 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).