Maharashtra shelves third language proposal in schools, says Dada Bhuse

After recent criticism over the move to make Hindi a compulsory third language from Class 1, the Maharashtra government has shelved the plan for now. State school education minister Dada Bhuse on Sunday clarified that the existing two-language formula will continue in both Marathi and English medium schools.

Speaking at the Pune Children’s Book Festival, Bhuse addressed the confusion around the state’s language policy and 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 added, “As of now, the three-language formula is on hold. Schools will continue with the existing two-language system.”

This comes days after Bhuse, on April 22, announced that Hindi would no longer be mandatory from Classes 1 to 5, following backlash from parents and educationists. At the time, he had said that the Centre was not imposing Hindi, but implementing provisions of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

“We had decided to issue a Government Resolution (GR) to remove the word ‘mandatory’. New rules would be framed after reviewing the type of school, number of students, and available teachers. However, the three-language formula will be implemented, and schools must accommodate other language choices,” Bhuse had said.

Quoting NEP 2020, Bhuse said the policy promotes multilingualism and unity, but with flexibility. “No language will be imposed. Students will be able to choose their languages, as long as two out of the three are native to India,” he said.

A week before the latest announcement, the school education department had stated that Hindi would be made compulsory as the third language in Marathi and English-medium schools from Classes 1 to 5. Currently, only Marathi and English are compulsory in these schools up to Class 4.