Hindi not mandatory, says Fadnavis; students can choose any Indian language as third option
In a significant shift in language education policy, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday announced that Hindi is no longer compulsory for school students as the third language. Under the revised state government resolution (GR), students in Marathi and English medium schools can now opt for any Indian language as their third language from Classes 1 to 5.
Speaking to reporters in Dehu, Fadnavis clarified that while Marathi remains compulsory, Hindi will be offered as a default option, not a mandatory one. If a group of at least 20 students in a class prefers another Indian language, schools will be required to accommodate the request by appointing a teacher or providing online classes if needed.
The chief minister linked the change to the New Education Policy (NEP), which promotes a three-language formula—comprising the mother tongue and two additional languages, one of which must be Indian. He emphasised that although English is widely favoured, Indian languages should not be overlooked. 'Indian languages are richer than English. Thanks to NEP, we've begun teaching engineering, medicine, and management courses in Marathi, transforming it into a language of knowledge,' he said.
The revised policy has sparked criticism from Opposition parties and pro-Marathi groups. The Congress accused the government of backtracking on its promise and 'betraying' Marathi-speaking citizens. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray alleged that the move was a covert attempt to reintroduce Hindi imposition and called on schools to reject it.
In response, Fadnavis said he had spoken to Thackeray and tried to clarify that the three-language policy was part of a nationwide initiative based on expert recommendations and cognitive research. 'If the rest of the country is following this policy, Maharashtra cannot afford to isolate itself with a two-language approach,' he added, pointing out that even Tamil Nadu's legal challenge to the NEP's language policy was unsuccessful.
Fadnavis said, 'What's wrong in learning a third Indian language?' reiterating that promoting linguistic diversity should not be a point of contention.
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