Latest news with #DadajiBhuse
Indian Express
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
As Hindi made optional, Maharashtra schools look to offer options such as Urdu and Gujarati as third language
After the Maharashtra government rolled back its decision to make Hindi mandatory as the third language in classes 1 to 5 across Marathi- and English-medium schools in the state, the schools are looking to offer options such as Gujarati and Urdu. However, the absence of clear guidelines from the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education has sparked widespread confusion and concerns about a chaotic start to the academic year beginning June. The government issued an order on April 16 making Hindi the mandatory third language from classes 1 to 5, but later gave in to the pushback against the move. School Education Minister Dadaji Bhuse on April 22 said after a Cabinet meeting, 'The word mandatory will be removed… The three-language formula remains, but schools must accommodate other language choices if a significant number of students in a class request it.' However, with no clear alternatives to Hindi provided by the State Council for Educational Research and Training (SCERT), many fear that schools may impose Hindi as the default third language. Furthermore, with no freedom to decide what they should do and whether to offer options, concerns arise that some students may be left with only two languages, leading to inconsistency in school education, which contradicts the uniformity expected under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Some schools have already begun taking the initiative. In Mumbai, Anjuman Islam English Medium School plans to offer Urdu as a third language. The institution, which already runs Urdu-medium schools, has the necessary resources, including trained teachers and curriculum materials. Similarly, schools in Pune have begun collecting nursery rhymes and basic learning materials in Gujarati and Bengali to meet the demand from parents of students. However, the larger problem lies in the government's lack of clarity on whether schools will have that liberty. Nazma Kazi, trustee of Anjuman Islam Educational Institutions, emphasised the need for communication from the government. 'Even if the SCERT needs time to prepare the content, the state must officially allow schools to decide their third language for now, along with a clear timeline for when structured support will be provided,' she said. Jagruti Dharmadhikari, director of Padma Education Society, which runs several schools and is also the president of the Independent English Medium School Managements' Association, said, 'While the decision to make Hindi optional is welcome, it has brought more confusion than clarity.' Dharmadhikari noted that with basic AI tools, schools run by the society have managed to generate translated content, such as nursery rhymes, in Gujarati and Bengali, which can easily be verified by teachers fluent in those languages. 'If we can do this, SCERT certainly can with the available resources of subject experts. It is a question of willingness. The government says the third language should be taught only at a conversational level. Then why the delay in giving out the curriculum structure for other languages?' she asked. Teachers have also pointed out that Maharashtra already has schools functioning in eight different mediums, suggesting that foundational-level content for various Indian languages is already available and can be adapted. School managements and educationists fear that, without concrete guidance, many institutions might default to teaching Hindi. Senior educationist Vasant Kalpande voiced strong concerns about the rushed rollout of the three-language formula without proper preparation. 'What is the point of introducing it when there is no clarity on options to Hindi, which could lead to some students left with only two languages to study, while others learn three,' he said. He questioned if the state plans to subtly impose Hindi as a third language, leaving room for confusion by delaying options. 'Most government schools are likely to follow suit out of fear. In other cases, leaving it up to the school to decide whether or not to teach Hindi as a third language will be chaotic, especially without adequate options. To avoid this chaos, the state should defer implementation of three languages to Class 1 until there is clarity on options,' he suggested. Adding to the concerns, senior educator Basanti Roy pointed out the logistical challenges of introducing a third language in under-resourced government schools, particularly in rural areas. 'Many zilla parishad (ZP)-run Marathi medium schools have only one teacher who is often unqualified to teach English, yet English is already mandatory as a second language. The reverse is also true in English medium schools, where teachers struggle with Marathi. The state never evaluated the effectiveness of implementing these two languages, and now it has introduced a third without addressing existing gaps,' she said.
Time of India
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Area-wise info of pre-schools on single portal
Mumbai: Parents in Maharashtra may soon have access to information about all pre-primary schools in their vicinity on one official platform. The information will not only include details on their website addresses, the students enrolled, and when they were started, but also on the physical infrastructure available, including the number of toilets, and the teachers and attendants available at the pre-schools. In a first such initiative to have consolidated data on pre-schools under one platform, the state govt launched a portal for their registration. With the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the central govt has brought children in the 3-6 age group under its ambit. The state is now making an attempt to implement the policy in a phased manner. Though the women and child development department has details on anganwadis, there is little or no control over private institutions offering pre-primary education. So, the state has launched this portal to bring all private centres providing pre-primary education under one platform, said school education minister Dadaji Bhuse. The portal was launched by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday. The information sought from the pre-schools in the registration forms available online also includes data on whether the school enrols children with special needs, whether they have CCTV surveillance, or if they have playgrounds or even water tanks. In the section made available for teachers, schools have to fill in details about their qualification. The data will also help the govtframe a policy for pre-primary education soon. Principal secretary, School Education, Ranjit Singh Deol, said that registration on the portal will not be mandatory as of now. "Currently, the state does not have information on all such private centres providing pre-primary education. Once the policy is framed and implemented, registration will become mandatory for all," said Deol.
The Wire
23-04-2025
- Politics
- The Wire
After Facing Criticism, Maharashtra Govt Reverses Decision to Make Hindi Mandatory as Third Language
Government The Wire Staff 3 minutes ago Ever since the announcement, the decision had faced criticism from several political parties. Representative image. Photo: Wikimedia Commons Support Free & Independent Journalism Good afternoon, we need your help! Since 2015, The Wire has fearlessly delivered independent journalism, holding truth to power. Despite lawsuits and intimidation tactics, we persist with your support. Contribute as little as ₹ 200 a month and become a champion of free press in India. Yes, I want to contribute New Delhi: After receiving massive flak for its decision to make Hindi mandatory as the third language in classes 1-5 in Marathi and English medium schools, the Maharashtra government on Tuesday (April 22) rolled back the move. 'The word mandatory will be removed…The three-language formula remains, but schools must accommodate other language choices if a significant number of students in a class request it,' said Maharashtra School Education Minister Dadaji Bhuse, after a meeting of the state cabinet, reported Indian Express. On April 17, the BJP-led Maharashtra government had said that as part of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, Hindi will be made a compulsory third language from classes 1 to 5. The decision will result in Hindi being taught alongside Marathi and English, according to the NEP. Ever since the announcement, the decision had faced criticism from several political parties. Apart from the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena led by Raj Thackeray, which had been the most vocal in its opposition to the decision, the Shiv Sena (UBT) led by Uddhav Thackeray had accused the BJP of trying to divide people on linguistic lines. The Congress had termed the move 'an attack on the Marathi language' and an attempt to erode state autonomy. Laxmikant Deshmukh, the chairperson of the Maharashtra government-appointed Language Consultation Committee chairperson had also opposed the move. Politics Experts Criticise Election Commission For Defending EVMs After Tulsi Gabbard's 'Prone to Manipulation' Remark View More
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
Hindi no longer mandatory in Maharashtra schools after public backlash
Under pressure from multiple quarters, the Maharashtra government on Tuesday (April 22) withdrew its directive making Hindi a compulsory third language from Classes 1 to 5 in Marathi- and English-medium schools. State School Education Minister Dadaji Bhuse announced the rollback after a Cabinet meeting, stating that the word 'mandatory' would be removed from the order. Bhuse said the three-language formula would remain in place but added that schools must now accommodate alternative language preferences if a significant number of students request it. The clarification marks a retreat from the April 16 order, which had triggered intense opposition across political, cultural, and social groups in the state. Backlash over Hindi imposition forces Maharashtra to withdraw language order Since the original notification was issued on April 16, the government has faced strong criticism from both allies and the Opposition. The timing of the move—coinciding with Tamil Nadu's protest against a similar push for Hindi—added to the political sensitivity. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who had previously defended the policy, briefed the Cabinet about the provisions under the National Education Policy (NEP) before the decision was rescinded. Fadnavis defends National Education Policy amid Hindi language row The controversy had earlier prompted Fadnavis to publicly respond to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on social media. Fadnavis argued that the NEP did not impose any language but only encouraged students to learn two Indian languages apart from English. He maintained that Maharashtra was open to Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Sanskrit, or any language of the student's choice. Attempting to address local concerns, Fadnavis clarified on Sunday that Marathi remained compulsory in the school curriculum and that there was no attempt to replace it with Hindi. Centre's push for Hindi in schools, embassies draws state resistance The rollback in Maharashtra comes in the backdrop of a sustained effort by the Centre to promote Hindi across government and educational platforms. In 2022, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) wrote to the Ministry of External Affairs seeking the promotion of Hindi in official work in Indian embassies, public sector units, and banks operating abroad. The MHA also urged the formation of Official Language Implementation Committees in these institutions. These directives were part of a wider campaign, with the government implementing several recommendations of a 2011 parliamentary standing committee report on Hindi in 2017. These included making Hindi compulsory in signage, railway announcements, exams, and government advertisements—especially in non-Hindi-speaking states. NEP 2020 and three-language formula: What it says about multilingual education The National Education Policy 2020 encourages multilingualism and endorses a three-language formula, with at least two Indian languages in the curriculum. The policy recommends the mother tongue or regional language as the medium of instruction up to at least Grade 5, and ideally until Grade 8 or beyond. To support this, the Centre has developed bilingual and trilingual textbooks for early education and has made learning materials available in 33 Indian languages through the DIKSHA platform. Despite the Centre's emphasis on flexibility, several southern and non-Hindi-speaking states have expressed concerns over what they see as an aggressive push for Hindi. These concerns are compounded by developments such as default Hindi settings on websites of key institutions like the CRPF, BSF, and National Crime Records Bureau. The Maharashtra government's recent reversal suggests that even BJP-led states are now treading carefully on language issues, particularly when public sentiment appears to be against any perception of imposition.
Time of India
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Minister: Hindi optional for class 1-V, but not 3rd language
Mumbai: Faced with criticism for making Hindi mandatory as the third language for class I to V, school education minister Dadaji Bhuse announced on Tuesday that it will be an 'optional' subject. The statement follows chief minister Devendra Fadnavis's comments that Hindi will not be compulsory from class I. However, a third language is likely to remain a mandatory component for primary students. The department will study which languages can be offered in schools apart from Hindi. But with less than two months left for a new academic year to start, schools are sceptical about introducing the third language as a component in the syllabus even though Bhuse said the available stock of teachers will suffice. Bhuse, in a media interaction, clarified that the Centre has not imposed Hindi in the state's curriculum and that it was the state's steering committee on the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 that recommended it in Sept 2024. The report has been available in the public domain since then. He said the three-language formula has been prescribed in the NEP. Though it recommends three languages from the sixth grade, the steering committee decided to introduce Hindi in the first grade, given its similarity to Devanagari (used for Marathi) and its widespread usage. "Taking into account people's sentiments, we have now decided to make it optional," said Bhuse, adding that books printed for class I for 2025-26 will be used by schools offering it as an option. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Click Here - This Might Save You From Losing Money Expertinspector Click Here Undo The department will study which other languages can be offered in schools in class I, he said. The decision to introduce Hindi in class 1 led to a backlash not only from political parties but a section of educationists and parents too. Many said a third language would be an additional burden for students in class I and that studies have shown that currently a majority of primary students in state-run schools lack competence to read and write even in their own language. However, Rahul Rekhawar, director, State's Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), said learning multiple languages at a young age is good for children's cognitive development and that people are per se not opposed to a third language, even if they oppose Hindi. He said a third language from class I will help students remain competitive when the Centre brings in equivalence in curriculums across boards. Principal secretary (school education) Ranjit Singh Deol and commissioner (school education) Sachindra Pratap Singh were also present for the meeting.
