Maharashtra education minister clarifies Hindi as third language in schools not compulsory

Time of India

18 hours ago

Nashik: School education minister Dada Bhuse on Saturday addressed concerns regarding state govt's decision to designate Hindi the third language in schools. He said the decision aligned with the recommendation of the task force established by the Uddhav Thackeray-led state govt to study and implement the National Education Policy (NEP).
Bhuse said, "Let me make it clear that Hindi is not made 'compulsory'. Besides, there will be no writing material for the subject in Std I and II. It will be an orally taught subject with an introduction including rhymes, understanding meaning with pictures, and such. The writing will begin from Std III only." He attributed the decision to the task force recommendations accepted by state govt on Jan 27, 2022.
"It was the same meeting when another subject was also discussed, which was related to making wines available in the walk-in malls through the shelves.
What we are doing is what was already discussed and decided upon," he said.
Referring to the task force report, Bhuse said the recommendation involved a three-language formula for English and Marathi schools, introducing English and Hindi as the second language from Std I. This approach follows the student-centric Academic Bank of Credits (ABC) system introduced under the NEP, providing students with greater flexibility to pursue their careers and interests.
When questioned about the opposition's stand on the issue, Bhuse said, "In a democracy, people have the right to agitate and have their views. No one can stop it. There are several states other than Maharashtra that are following the three-language policy, and also in our state, about 25% of schools have been following it for long."
Bhuse also noted that govt had mandated more periods for Marathi than recommended in the NEP to ensure that students understand the subject more effectively.