Govt's Language Advisory Committee to oppose introduction of Hindi in primary education
The Language Advisory Committee, appointed by the state government, which has been against imposition of Hindi as a third language in state schools, has now passed a resolution to oppose its introduction from Class 1. The committee members believe that it is not academically sound to introduce a third language at such a young age, when formal education of two languages just starts for children.
The committee, which comprises language experts and teachers among others, passed the resolution in a meeting held in Pune on Friday. Chairman of the committee Laxmikant Deshmukh, said, 'It is unjust to put the burden of a third language on children. Ideally, there should be only one language at the beginning. But English has been made compulsory, realising its global importance and parents' demand. There is neither any justified reason nor any demand to add a third language.'
Further highlighting that it is worse to make Hindi as the default third language in schools, Deshmukh said, 'Imposition of Hindi is not only confusing to children but is also a cultural onslaught. Even though they use the same script, there are major variations in the way these two languages are written. Starting from grammar rules, use of punctuation marks, sentence structures and even meanings of words, there are major differences. For example, the word 'shiksha' in Hindi means education, but in Marathi, it means punishment. This confusion at the early stage of learning a language can impact the quality of language education.'
Deshmukh stated that the committee has also decided to take part in the protest against Hindi as a third language, called by the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena on July 5.
'The government is citing National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 for these changes, which actually emphasizes the importance of education in the mother tongue. The National Curriculum Framework (NCF) brings third language only from Class 6, raising questions on the state's purpose to bring third language from Class 1,' said Deshmukh while adding that the government should rather work on improving the quality of language education in state-run schools.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
an hour ago
- Business Standard
Govt panel opposes Hindi push, urges CM Fadnavis to scrap 3-language plan
With the opposition against the "imposition" of Hindi gaining momentum in Maharashtra, a government-appointed advisory committee has urged Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to roll back the decision to introduce the language in primary classes. The Language Advisory Committee, which makes recommendations to the government on matters related to the Marathi language, passed a resolution on Friday demanding that no third language, including Hindi, be taught before Class 5. The resolution was passed during a meeting held in Pune, attended by 20 out of 27 committee members. Kiran Kulkarni, secretary of the Marathi language department, was also present during the meeting. A language row has erupted in Maharashtra after the state government recently issued an amended order stating that Hindi will "generally" be taught as a third language to students from Classes 1 to 5 in Marathi and English medium schools. According to the 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. Speaking to reporters, the committee's chairman, Laxmikant Deshmukh, said that it was the first time a government-backed body has taken such a stand against a government decision. "We are not against Hindi or any other language, but imposing it in early schooling is neither educationally sound nor culturally appropriate. Language learning in the early years must focus on the mother tongue for strong foundational skills," he said. Deshmukh said the committee had previously flagged concerns after the government's decision to make Hindi a part of the primary school curriculum, but its objections were brushed aside. "The government attempted to bypass this by presenting misleading interpretations. We want the government resolution on this matter to be cancelled outright," he said. Committee members, including renowned language expert Prakash Parab and senior Marathi writer Shripad Bhalchandra Joshi, raised the issue during the meeting and received unanimous support. Joshi, a scholar and educationist, warned of consequences. "English was introduced as a compulsory subject for primary classes in Marathi-medium schools in 1999. It is worth noting that Marathi was made compulsory in English-medium schools seven years later, and as a result, children could not learn either language properly. Now, by adding Hindi or any other third language early on, children's linguistic abilities will only weaken," he said. He claimed the move was a systematic attempt to dilute Maharashtra's intellectual strength. The main functions of the committee are to advise the government on the development and preservation of the Marathi language, and this includes preparing new dictionaries, selecting standardised words, setting guidelines for the use of the language and determining policies, among other things. The committee's resolution also states that the idea of introducing a third language should only be considered after Class 5, and even then, it should remain optional. "As an advisory committee, we strongly recommend that the government avoid introducing a third language in primary schools," Deshmukh said. Doing so could negatively affect students' psychological development and undermine the cultural identity of the state, he said, adding that the committee has also decided to participate in the Shiv Sena (UBT)-MNS morcha on July 5.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Maharashtra language panel opposes early Hindi push, urges CM Devendra Fadnavis to roll it back
Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads With the opposition against the "imposition" of Hindi gaining momentum in Maharashtra, a government-appointed advisory committee has urged Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to roll back the decision to introduce the language in primary Language Advisory Committee, which makes recommendations to the government on matters related to the Marathi language, passed a resolution on Friday demanding that no third language, including Hindi, be taught before Class resolution was passed during a meeting held in Pune, attended by 20 out of 27 committee members. Kiran Kulkarni, secretary of the Marathi language department, was also present during the meeting.A language row has erupted in Maharashtra after the state government recently issued an amended order stating that Hindi will "generally" be taught as a third language to students from Classes 1 to 5 in Marathi and English medium to the 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 to reporters, the committee's chairman, Laxmikant Deshmukh, said that it was the first time a government-backed body has taken such a stand against a government decision."We are not against Hindi or any other language, but imposing it in early schooling is neither educationally sound nor culturally appropriate. Language learning in the early years must focus on the mother tongue for strong foundational skills," he said the committee had previously flagged concerns after the government's decision to make Hindi a part of the primary school curriculum, but its objections were brushed aside."The government attempted to bypass this by presenting misleading interpretations. We want the government resolution on this matter to be cancelled outright," he members, including renowned language expert Prakash Parab and senior Marathi writer Shripad Bhalchandra Joshi, raised the issue during the meeting and received unanimous a scholar and educationist, warned of consequences."English was introduced as a compulsory subject for primary classes in Marathi-medium schools in 1999. It is worth noting that Marathi was made compulsory in English-medium schools seven years later, and as a result, children could not learn either language properly. Now, by adding Hindi or any other third language early on, children's linguistic abilities will only weaken," he claimed the move was a systematic attempt to dilute Maharashtra's intellectual main functions of the committee are to advise the government on the development and preservation of the Marathi language, and this includes preparing new dictionaries, selecting standardised words, setting guidelines for the use of the language and determining policies, among other committee's resolution also states that the idea of introducing a third language should only be considered after Class 5, and even then, it should remain optional."As an advisory committee, we strongly recommend that the government avoid introducing a third language in primary schools," Deshmukh so could negatively affect students' psychological development and undermine the cultural identity of the state, he said, adding that the committee has also decided to participate in the Shiv Sena (UBT)-MNS morcha on July 5.
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Govt panel opposes three-language policy, asks CM to roll back decision on Hindi in primary classes
Mumbai, With the opposition against the "imposition" of Hindi gaining momentum in Maharashtra, a government-appointed advisory committee has urged Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to roll back the decision to introduce the language in primary classes. Govt panel opposes three-language policy, asks CM to roll back decision on Hindi in primary classes The Language Advisory Committee, which makes recommendations to the government on matters related to the Marathi language, passed a resolution on Friday demanding that no third language, including Hindi, be taught before Class 5. The resolution was passed during a meeting held in Pune, attended by 20 out of 27 committee members. Kiran Kulkarni, secretary of the Marathi language department, was also present during the meeting. A language row has erupted in Maharashtra after the state government recently issued an amended order stating that Hindi will "generally" be taught as a third language to students from Classes 1 to 5 in Marathi and English medium schools. According to the 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. Speaking to reporters, the committee's chairman, Laxmikant Deshmukh, said that it was the first time a government-backed body has taken such a stand against a government decision. "We are not against Hindi or any other language, but imposing it in early schooling is neither educationally sound nor culturally appropriate. Language learning in the early years must focus on the mother tongue for strong foundational skills," he said. Deshmukh said the committee had previously flagged concerns after the government's decision to make Hindi a part of the primary school curriculum, but its objections were brushed aside. "The government attempted to bypass this by presenting misleading interpretations. We want the government resolution on this matter to be cancelled outright," he said. Committee members, including renowned language expert Prakash Parab and senior Marathi writer Shripad Bhalchandra Joshi, raised the issue during the meeting and received unanimous support. Joshi, a scholar and educationist, warned of consequences. "English was introduced as a compulsory subject for primary classes in Marathi-medium schools in 1999. It is worth noting that Marathi was made compulsory in English-medium schools seven years later, and as a result, children could not learn either language properly. Now, by adding Hindi or any other third language early on, children's linguistic abilities will only weaken," he said. He claimed the move was a systematic attempt to dilute Maharashtra's intellectual strength. The main functions of the committee are to advise the government on the development and preservation of the Marathi language, and this includes preparing new dictionaries, selecting standardised words, setting guidelines for the use of the language and determining policies, among other things. The committee's resolution also states that the idea of introducing a third language should only be considered after Class 5, and even then, it should remain optional. "As an advisory committee, we strongly recommend that the government avoid introducing a third language in primary schools," Deshmukh said. Doing so could negatively affect students' psychological development and undermine the cultural identity of the state, he said, adding that the committee has also decided to participate in the Shiv Sena -MNS morcha on July 5. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
