Not in favour of making Hindi compulsory from Std I, says Ajit Pawar

Time of India

14 hours ago

Pune: Deputy chief minister
, also the chief of Mahayuti partner NCP, on Saturday said he was not in favour of making Hindi compulsory from Standard I, amid the call for a protest march by estranged Thackeray cousins on July 5 against the state govt over the alleged "imposition" of the language on students.
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When Ajit Pawar was asked about his stand against the backdrop of the rally, he said, "I made my stand clear on Hindi in Mumbai a few days back. There is no opposition to the fact that Marathi, being the mother tongue in Maharashtra, should be the compulsory language from Standard 1. Now the trend of English has picked up and many parents are enrolling their children in English medium schools. After Standard V, the parents can take a call on choosing the third language.
Generally, in Maharashtra, along with Marathi and English, students learn Hindi as the third language. Some choose different languages also."
Giving a push for the three-language policy, the Mahayuti govt decided on April 16 to make Hindi the mandatory third language in govt schools from Standard I. The decision triggered opposition not only from the political parties but also from academicians and scholars.
Amid the growing protest, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis announced that Hindi would not be made compulsory and students could opt for the third language.
In the revised order, the state govt stated that Hindi would generally be the third language, and in the case of any other language, a minimum of 20 students should opt for it.
Both Thackeray cousins have come together against the state govt's decision, calling it an imposition of Hindi in the state. They have called on all the political parties and Marathi celebrities to join the protest rally in Mumbai on July 5.
Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS party workers have started a campaign to gather a big crowd for the rally. Along with social media posts, the parties are putting up posters of the rally. In one of the posters, MNS has printed Ajit Pawar's photo, indicating that he is also supporting their stand.
Interacting with reporters on the issue in his hometown Baramati, Ajit Pawar said, "We will be discussing this issue in the cabinet meeting next week, which will be held just before the beginning of the assembly session.