On December 5, 2025, nearly 1.8 lakh teachers across Maharashtra staged a full-day strike. They shut down over 95% of Zilla Parishad schools, 60% of municipal schools, and 75% of private aided schools. The protest was organized by 35 unions representing both teaching and non-teaching staff statewide. Bhau Chaskar, convener of the Active Teachers Forum and a ZP school teacher from Ahilyanagar, said the strike was strong where election rules did not restrict protests. "Parents’ unions also joined us in some places. The core issue is professional dignity—after completing D.Ed and B.Ed, teachers face arbitrary changes in norms. The government must amend the Right to Education Act and roll back regressive policies," he stated. The main trigger is a Government Resolution (GR) issued on March 15, 2024, that sets a strict student-teacher ratio. Teachers warn this policy will lead to closure of nearly 17,000 schools, especially in rural and tribal areas where student numbers are often below 20. "If implemented, this will wipe out teachers from these areas, pushing children into child labour and early marriage. It’s a violation of RTE provisions," said Mr. Chaskar. The GR also requires adjustments for schools with low student numbers, disrupting access to education in every habitation, as guaranteed by RTE. Teachers demand the policy be scrapped and that no school closures happen under the pretext of rationalization. Teachers also criticized the growing workload from non-academic tasks and app-based monitoring. "Uploading photos for NGO programs like STARS, funded by the World Bank, can force children to travel 4 km for network access. These tasks reduce teaching time and productivity," added Chaskar. Vijay Kombe, State President of Maharashtra Rajya Prathmaik Shishak Samiti, said the strike began at 10 a.m. and ended at 6.30 p.m. without any government response. "We demand immediate withdrawal of the GR, rollback of the Teacher Aptitude Test (TAT), and an end to non-teaching duties. How can one teacher handle three classes? This is unacceptable," Kombe asserted. Unions warned of an indefinite strike if demands like TET verification clarity, pay scale revisions, pension settlements, and filling rural vacancies are ignored. "This is not just about primary education; secondary schools are equally affected," Kombe added.