Maharashtra: Hindi is no longer compulsory in Maharashtra schools, know what is the controversy, why is the Fadnavis government on the back foot..

Under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, a three-language formula was implemented across the country, which includes the mother tongue i.e. the language spoken the most in that state, second Indian language, and third English. In April, the Maharashtra government announced that Hindi would be compulsory as the third language from classes 1 to 5, which was to be implemented from the academic year 2025-26. Controversy started over this decision. Opposition parties and Marathi language supporters in Maharashtra considered it an attack on Marathi identity.

After opposition protests, on April 22, School Education Minister Dada Bhuse said that Hindi would no longer be compulsory in the state and it was postponed. Then on June 17, the CM Devendra Fadnavis government issued a revised government proposal, in which Hindi was generally kept as the third language. There was a condition in it that if at least 20 students in a class choose any other Indian language, then the school would have to provide a teacher for that language or make arrangements for online studies.

State government accused of imposing Hindi?

Parties like Congress and MNS called it a conspiracy to impose Hindi. Maharashtra Congress President Harshvardhan Sapkal called it a betrayal of the Marathi people. He said that due to the condition of 20 students, it would be difficult to choose a second language in a school, especially in small schools. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) Raj Thackeray raised the question of why this was not implemented in Gujarat. He called it a conspiracy of the lobby of North Indian IAS officers.

Chief Minister said Hindi is not compulsory.

As the controversy grew, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis came forward. He clarified on June 18 that there is no compulsion to learn Hindi. Fadnavis said what was wrong with learning one of the most spoken languages ​​​​of India. He emphasized that any Indian language can be chosen as the third language under NEP 2020 and it was given priority due to the availability of Hindi teachers. Fadnavis also said that Indian languages ​​​​should not be ignored amid the promotion of English.

What now after the controversy?

As per the new directive issued on June 17, Hindi is the third language in Marathi and English medium schools from classes 1 to 5, but it is not compulsory. If more than 20 students in a class choose another Indian language, the school will have to provide a teacher for that language. If less than 20 students choose, the language will be taught online. Marathi remains compulsory in all schools, which is a key part of the government policy.

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