Maharashtra CM to Consult Stakeholders on Three-Language Policy in Schools

Consultation on Language Policy

On Monday, Maharashtra's Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced that a conclusive decision regarding the three-language policy in schools will be made following discussions with all relevant stakeholders, as reported by a news outlet.

This announcement comes in light of the opposition to the state government's decision from June 17, which designated Hindi as a language to be taught generally from Class 1 to Class 5 in both Marathi and English medium schools.

As per the directive, if a minimum of 20 students in a grade express interest in learning another Indian language, they can opt out of Hindi. In such cases, the school will either appoint a teacher for that language or provide online instruction.

A meeting regarding the three-language formula took place at the chief minister's residence, attended by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, School Education Minister Dada Bhuse, Minister of State for School Education Pankaj Bhoyar, and officials from the education department.

The meeting focused on the implications of the three-language policy, especially in relation to the 2020 National Education Policy, as discussed in another news report.

It was also agreed that a presentation would be created to illustrate the linguistic landscape of the state, ensuring that students in Marathi-medium schools are not disadvantaged.

To facilitate this, a consultation process will be initiated involving stakeholders such as Marathi language experts, literary figures, and political leaders, according to a news source.

This year, the Maharashtra government has faced criticism regarding its language policy on two occasions.

On April 16, the government revealed plans to implement the 2020 National Education Policy starting from the academic year 2025-’26, which mandated Hindi as a third language for students in Marathi and English medium schools, thereby replacing the previous two-language system with a three-language approach.

On April 20, a language consultation committee established by the state government expressed opposition to making Hindi a compulsory third language in primary education.

Subsequently, on April 22, the government suspended its April 16 directive, stating that while the three-language policy would still be enacted, students would not be obligated to study Hindi as their third language.

The three-language formula involves teaching students English, Hindi, and the native language of the state. This approach was first introduced in the National Education Policy of 1968 and has been retained in the updated policy launched in 2020.