Hindi to be ‘generally’ taught third language in Maharashtra schools

The Maharashtra government on Tuesday issued an order making Hindi a “generally” taught third language for students from Class 1 to Class 5 in Marathi and English medium schools, PTI reported.

According to the amended order, if 20 students per grade in a school wish to study any other Indian language, they can opt out of Hindi. If such a demand arises, either a teacher will be appointed or the language will be taught online, the news agency quoted the order as stating.

The Maharashtra School Education Department issued the government resolution as part of implementing the “State Curriculum Framework for School Education 2024”, which aligns with the 2020 National Education Policy, PTI reported.

While Hindi is not mandatory, Marathi will remain a compulsory language in all medium schools, according to the resolution.

On April 16, the Maharashtra government had announced plans to implement the 2020 National Education Policy from the academic year 2025-’26.

This made Hindi compulsory as the third language for students of Class 1 to Class 5 in Marathi and English medium schools, replacing their existing two-language structure with the three-language formula.

On April 20, a language consultation committee appointed by the Maharashtra government opposed the decision to make Hindi a mandatory third language in primary schools.

On April 22, the government stayed its April 16...

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