State-appointed Language Advisory Committee opposes imposition of Hindi in primary schools
The resolution was passed during a meeting held in Pune, attended by 20 out of 27 members of the committee. Kiran Kulkarni, secretary of the Marathi language department was also present during the meeting.
'This is the first time a government-backed body has taken such a stand against a government decision,' said committee chairman Laxmikant Deshmukh. '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.'
Deshmukh added that 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,' he said. 'We want the government resolution on this matter to be cancelled outright.'
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 deeper consequences. 'After English was introduced as a compulsory subject in primary classes in non-English-medium schools in 1999 and Marathi was introduced seven years later, children neither learned English properly nor did they master Marathi. Now, by adding Hindi or another third language early on, children's linguistic abilities will only get weaker. This is a systematic attempt to dilute Maharashtra's intellectual strength,' he said.
The main functions of the Language Advisory Committee are to advise the government on the development and preservation of the Marathi language. This includes preparing new dictionaries, selecting standardised words, preparing guidelines for the use of the language and determining language policies among other things.
The 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,' said Deshmukh. 'Doing so could negatively affect students' psychological development and undermine the cultural identity of the state. To express our concerns, we have also decided to take part in the morcha being held on July 5.'
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