MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government on Tuesday took a sharp U-turn over making Hindi the third language in primary schools. Maharashtra Education Minister and Shiv Sena MLA Dada Bhuse said that earlier government resolutions (GR) would be amended and Hindi made an optional language rather than mandatory.
Bhuse said that the three-language policy has been introduced per the National Education Policy 2020. Still, it is not mentioned in the article that Hindi should be made a mandatory language in schools. The central government has given the choice to the state to choose any language as a third language after regional language and English in their respective states.
“In Maharashtra, Marathi has been taught as our mother tongue and pride language, English as second language to connect the word and Hindi as third language as it is spoken in many states,” he said.
Besides, Hindi is similar to Marathi in syntax, and the script of both languages is the same. Therefore, the minister added, it will be easy for the students to learn Hindi as a third language and connect with the rest of the country.
The state government-appointed steering committee recommended the decision to accept Hindi as a third language on September 9, 2024. It was accepted on April 16, 2025, and the GR was issued for execution.
“But now we decided to amend our earlier issued GR, making Hindi an optional language rather than a mandatory language in schools,” the minister clarified.
He said that other languages will be taught in the school, depending on students’ demand. “If more than 20 students of one class demand any language as a third language, then we will engage that particular language teacher and teach the students. We are not here to impose Hindi as a third language. We decided to withdraw our earlier decision,” the Shiv Sena minister added.
Interestingly, Steering committee member and education expert Ramesh Panse also opposed the imposition of Hindi in Maharashtra. He said that he had written the same to the state government regarding the withdrawal of its decision.
MNS chief Raj Thackeray opposed the imposition of Hindi, saying Maharashtra will not tolerate the imposition of Hindi as a third language in schools. He said they are Hindus, but not Hindi. Congress and left parties also opposed the imposition of Hindi in the state.