With just two weeks left for schools to reopen, parents and schools in Maharashtra are feeling quite confused about the language policy under NEP 2020 due to conflicting directives from the state education department. The Raj Thackrey-led MNS is strongly against the three-language system in the state.
Initially, Hindi was made compulsory from Std I to Std V for all schools in Maharashtra before facing opposition. However, the state government later withdrew this directive following strong resistance. Despite this, Balbharati is in the process of preparing Hindi textbooks, which raises doubts about the actual status of the language in the curriculum. This mixed messaging from the government is causing uncertainty among students and parents as the new academic year approaches.
School Education Minister Dada Bhuse mentioned that there is opposition to the three-language policy, and the government will form a committee to study the issue. However, when attempts were made to contact the minister for further clarification, he was unavailable. The situation has become even more unclear with the Maharashtra government’s initial announcement of replacing the current two-language format with a three-language structure under NEP, with Hindi being made compulsory alongside Marathi and English.
However, after facing backlash, the education minister clarified that Hindi would be an optional subject, not mandatory. According to NEP 2020, students are required to learn three languages, with at least two of them being native to India. The conflicting opinions from different groups in Maharashtra, such as the Marathi Study Centre and the MNS, have added to the confusion surrounding the implementation of the three-language formula in schools.
The minister’s decision to create a task force to study the issue has not provided much clarity on whether the three-language formula will be enforced from Std I in all schools this year or if it will be postponed. The situation remains uncertain as the deadline for schools to reopen draws closer.
