Mumbai, 18 June

The Maharashtra government has issued an order saying Hindi will be taught as the third language to students in Marathi and English medium schools in the state from classes 1 to 5.

An amended government order issued on Tuesday said Hindi will "generally" be the third language, instead of being mandatory, but gave an option to opt out if 20 students per grade in a school express the desire to study any Indian language other than Hindi.

While some Marathi language advocates accused the government of reintroducing the policy through the "backdoor" after initially backtracking, the opposition Congress accused Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of "stabbing" the Marathi people in the chest.

The Maharashtra School Education Department issued the government resolution (GR) on Tuesday as part of the implementation of the 'State Curriculum Framework for School Education 2024', aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

According to the GR, Hindi will "generally" be the third language for students from classes 1 to 5 in Marathi and English medium schools.

"Those who wish to learn any other language as an option to Hindi, should meet the expectation of 20 students from each standard in a school. In such a situation, a teacher for that particular language will be made available or the language will be taught online," the order stated.

Marathi will be a compulsory language in all medium schools, the GR said.

Critics claimed the government's latest move contradicts earlier statements of School Education Minister Dada Bhuse that Hindi would not be mandatory for the primary classes.

Though the government order provides a conditional option for students to opt for another Indian language instead of Hindi, it stipulates that a minimum of 20 students per school must opt for the alternative.

If a such demand arises, either a teacher will be appointed or the language will be taught online, the order added.

The directive also mandates that in schools following other mediums of instruction, the three-language formula must include the medium language, Marathi and English.

Earlier this year, the state government faced widespread backlash for its proposal to introduce Hindi from class 1.

On April 22, Bhuse said Hindi would no longer be compulsory in classes 1 to 5.

Last month, the minister at an event in Pune said, "The decision to introduce Hindi from class 1 as a third language was taken earlier. However, many parents have suggested it be introduced from class 3 instead. We will consider these suggestions before taking any further decision."

He also said at the time that the three-language formula was "on hold" and schools would continue with the existing two-language system for now.

But the latest order appears to contradict that assurance, prompting a fresh wave of opposition.

"This is nothing but the backdoor imposition of Hindi," claimed Deepak Pawar of the Mumbai-based Marathi Bhasha Abhyas Kendra, working to preserve the Marathi language.

"The government has betrayed the Marathi people. If we remain silent now, it will pave the way for dismantling the federal structure and the legacy of the Samyukta Maharashtra movement," he charged in a social media post, urging people to protest.

Vasant Kalpande, former chairman of the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education, said it is unlikely to find 20 students in a class opting for a non-Hindi language.

"The provision to make teacher available online is also an attempt to discourage opting for any other language than Hindi. Although, Marathi and Hindi have similar scripts, it will be too much for students of such young age to learn the nuances and differences between the scripts," he claimed.

Hindi as a third language is not mandatory in (BJP-ruled) Gujarat and Assam, Kalpande pointed out.

Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal said the fresh government order on the three-language formula was a planned plot to impose Hindi, and accused CM Devendra Fadnavis of "stabbing" Marathi people in the chest.

The public was "deceived" by saying that the compulsion of Hindi as a third language has been abolished. But what does the GR say, he mentioned in a post on X.

"Hindi will be the compulsory third language. If any other language is to be learned, the requirement is for at least 20 students, It's a show of giving an alternative and the planned plot to impose Hindi. This is BJP's anti-Maharashtra agenda and a conspiracy to eliminate the Marathi language, Marathi identity and Marathi people," Sapkal alleged.

This makes it clear that the loyalty of Fadnavis and Deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar is not with Maharashtra or the Marathi people, but with the people of Delhi, he charged.

The Shinde (Shiv Sena) group, which repeatedly mentions (party founder) Balasaheb Thackeray's name, holds the education ministry and has taken the initiative to "kill Marathi in the same way that they stabbed Shiv Sena in the back," the Congress leader alleged.

"Ajit Pawar is so desperate for power that he has nothing to do with Maharashtra, Marathi language, or whether Marathi people live or die. Ajit Pawar's policy is only to get the finance portfolio," he claimed.

"We will not rest till the agenda of 'One Nation, One Language, One Culture' of the RSS and BJP is rejected," Sapkal added.