Final call on three-language policy in Maharashtra schools after talks with all stakeholders, says Chief Minister

The Hindu

5 hours ago

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced on Monday night that a final decision on implementing the three-language formula in schools in the State will be taken only after discussions with writers, language experts, political leaders, and all other stakeholders concerned.
The move comes amid widespread opposition to the government's decision to introduce Hindi as a third language in schools.
The announcement was made after a meeting on the three-language formula at the CM's residence. It was attended by Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, School Education Minister Dada Bhuse, Minister of State Pankaj Bhoir, and Education Department officials.
According to a press statement issued by the government, the leaders deliberated on the issue and decided to present the position of all stakeholders on the language policy.
The government has decided to prepare a detailed presentation covering all options, with a specific focus on ensuring that Marathi students do not suffer academic losses in relation to the Academic Bank of Credits, a digital platform envisioned in the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020. To this end, a presentation and consultation process will be conducted with all stakeholders, including Marathi language scholars, literary figures, and political leaders, according to the statement.
The decision to revisit the three-language formula comes after opposition from various quarters, including Marathi literary figures, who had strongly opposed the government's decision to introduce Hindi as a third language for students from Classes 1 to 5 in schools across the State.
Facing backlash
The Maharashtra government has faced backlash twice over its language policy. Initially, it issued a resolution on April 16 making Hindi a mandatory third language in Marathi and English medium schools. Following criticism, the government issued an amended GR, revising the policy to make Hindi the 'generally' third language option, while allowing schools to teach other Indian languages if at least 20 students opted for it.
However, civil societies have strongly opposed the decision. Marathi writer Hemant Divate on Sunday announced the return of the Kavi Keshavsut Puraskar he had received from the government as a mark of protest. 'I am returning the Maharashtra government award received for my poetry collection 'Paranoia'. I will only withdraw my decision if the government withdraws the decision,' he said on X.
Around 18 organisations under the Marathi Abhyas Kendra also collectively wrote to the Chief Minister, urging him to maintain a two-language policy instead of implementing the three-language model. They argued that the NEP does not mandate introducing the language policy from the beginning.
'Despite such strong opposition from various civil societies, child protection and linguistic experts, the government is pushing its own agenda. In fact, instead of withdrawing the original resolution, the government took a different approach, which is absurd. The government has done no scholarly or scientific analysis to implement such a decision,' Dr. Deepak Pawar, an Assistant Professor at the University of Mumbai, who is representing the platform, said.
Dr. Pawar sternly warned that if the government does not listen to their demands, they have planned various stages of protest, including a signature campaign for the support of parents, a campaign for the support of dignitaries, a meme competition, burning of amended GR and other documents, a public meeting, and a sit-in protest.
Signature campaign
The Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has been spearheading protests against the move. On Monday, MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande led a signature campaign in Dadar, collecting signatures from parents opposed to the decision.
The MNS also called the State government 'impotent' over its handling of the language policy, with Mr. Deshpande criticising the government for not using Marathi banners at the National Conference of Estimates Committees of Parliament and State/UT Legislative Bodies held at Vidhan Bhavan in Mumbai. 'If everyone in the government is incapable, then what can Marathi people do? It is the misfortune of Marathi people and Maharashtra that the government's love for Hindi remains unexplained,' he said.
Mr. Deshpande pointed out that the banners for the event were only in Hindi and English, and questioned why Marathi was not included despite the conference being held in Maharashtra. 'Despite being a national conference, it has been held in Maharashtra, Marathi is a must. So, why no banners in Marathi and who will honour Marathi?' he asked.
CM's clarification
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde clarified that it was a Lok Sabha Secretariat event, which is why the banners were in Hindi and English. He explained that if the State government had organised the event, the banners would have been in Marathi.
During the signature campaign, parents expressed their opposition to the decision, with one parent saying, 'The government making Hindi optional is just a game of words. Without saying mandatory, they are imposing a third language. When we were kids, we also had two languages, and we grew up knowing Hindi without studying it. So, I don't think students should be burdened unnecessarily. This is the only way of putting down Marathi.'
The MNS has appealed to Marathi-speaking people to come out on the streets and protest against the decision.