Latest news with #AkhilBharatiyaMarathiSahityaMahamandal
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Marathi Sahitya Mahamandal welcomes rollback of GRs making Hindi mandatory from class 1
The Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Mahamandal has welcomed the Maharashtra government's decision to withdraw two controversial Government Resolutions (GRs) that made Hindi or other Indian languages compulsory from Class 1 in schools across the state. The decision was announced by Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday, following sustained opposition from political parties and language advocacy groups. The GRs had sparked sharp criticism from writers, educators, and civil society groups. (HT) Milind Joshi, president of the Mahamandal, said the rollback was a much-needed correction in favour of Maharashtra's linguistic and cultural interests. 'This is a decision in the interest of Maharashtra and its students. We wholeheartedly congratulate the Chief Minister and the government for withdrawing the GRs,' Joshi said. The Mahamandal had been protesting against the two GRs issued by the state's school education department earlier this year. These GRs, issued in the name of promoting multilingualism, made it mandatory for schools to learn Hindi or any other Indian language from Class 1, sparking concerns among Marathi language advocates who saw it as an encroachment on the primacy of Marathi in the state's curriculum. He also pointed out that it was Fadnavis himself who had played a key role in making the teaching of Marathi compulsory in all schools in the state. 'We hope he continues to take decisions that protect the rights of Marathi-speaking students and strengthen the use of Marathi in public life,' he added. The GRs had sparked sharp criticism from writers, educators, and civil society groups, who argued that such a policy would disadvantage Marathi students and medium, and was out of sync with the state's linguistic identity. In recent months, the Mahamandal had issued public statements, written to education department officials, and participated in awareness campaigns highlighting the implications of the GRs. Following the rollback, several educationists and parent groups have also voiced support for the decision, calling it a welcome step toward preserving the balance in the state's multilingual education framework. 'We welcome the government's decision to withdraw both GRs instead of just amending the clause that made Hindi or any third language compulsory from Classes 1 to 5, as demanded unanimously across Maharashtra,' said Sripad Bhalchandra Joshi, former president of the Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Mahamandal and convenor of Marathichya Vyapak Hitasaathi (Movement for the Larger Interests of Marathi). However, Joshi cautioned that there is a real danger the government will now attempt to push the same idea—of making a third language compulsory—through committees filled only with hand-picked 'experts' from within the ruling political fold.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Three-language policy implemented in Maha in haste, chaos lead to revocation: Educators
Pune: Several educators in the state on Sunday reiterated that govt's decision on the three-language policy announced earlier in June was taken in haste and without consultation with experts, leading to complete chaos that resulted in the resolution being revoked. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Many asserted that the widespread opposition to the policy was not against the Hindi language, but its introduction from Std I. On Sunday, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis announced the formation of a committee to suggest the way forward in the implementation of the language policy and withdrew GRs issued in April and June this year, which had introduced Hindi learning as a must from a much younger age in school. In a reaction statement, the Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Mahamandal said, "There is hope he (Fadnavis) will continue to take decisions in the interest of Marathi in future, too." Mahendra Ganpule, former vice president, State Headmasters' Association, said, "There is no ill feeling against the third language or Hindi. But there was opposition to the wrong policy of implementing it from Std I without considering child psychology. We will present all our points in detail again before the committee and try to ensure that the right decision is taken in the interest of children." The parent of a Std III student from Kothrud, Shilpa Kulkarni, said Sunday's decision has put an end to ongoing confusion. "After schools resumed for the new academic year, we have only been discussing this issue. It was very difficult to handle the confusion and explain to our children whether the language subject has been incorporated. Now, we have clarity." The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and AAP Paalak Union issued a statement, saying, "There was no logical reason behind the insistence on imposing a third language in Std I when children already have the burden of English besides their mother tongue. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Govt issued this order surreptitiously through wordplay, without any insistence from parents or teachers. The public sentiment was that this was politics to undermine Marathi, the mother tongue in Maharashtra, by giving it secondary status and bringing Hindi forward as a transactional language, thus attacking diversity. " AAP's Mukund Kirdat said, "There was no reason to change the existing three-language formula starting at the secondary level. The opposition was not against Hindi or a third language but against its implementation from Std I." Chief coordinator of Shikshan Vikas Manch, Madhav Suryawanshi, said, "While CM has announced cancellation of the GR, considering past experience, we cannot trust this declaration till a notification is issued. Earlier, despite CM and the education minister publicly stating that three languages would not be made compulsory from Std I, govt still implemented the same decision. Until an order is issued stating that the decision stands cancelled, govt's stance cannot be trusted. Govt should issue that order." Pune: Several educators in the state on Sunday reiterated that govt's decision on the three-language policy announced earlier in June was taken in haste and without consultation with experts, leading to complete chaos that resulted in the resolution being revoked. Many asserted that the widespread opposition to the policy was not against the Hindi language, but its introduction from Std I. On Sunday, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis announced the formation of a committee to suggest the way forward in the implementation of the language policy and withdrew GRs issued in April and June this year, which had introduced Hindi learning as a must from a much younger age in school. In a reaction statement, the Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Mahamandal said, "There is hope he (Fadnavis) will continue to take decisions in the interest of Marathi in future, too." Mahendra Ganpule, former vice president, State Headmasters' Association, said, "There is no ill feeling against the third language or Hindi. But there was opposition to the wrong policy of implementing it from Std I without considering child psychology. We will present all our points in detail again before the committee and try to ensure that the right decision is taken in the interest of children." The parent of a Std III student from Kothrud, Shilpa Kulkarni, said Sunday's decision has put an end to ongoing confusion. "After schools resumed for the new academic year, we have only been discussing this issue. It was very difficult to handle the confusion and explain to our children whether the language subject has been incorporated. Now, we have clarity." The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and AAP Paalak Union issued a statement, saying, "There was no logical reason behind the insistence on imposing a third language in Std I when children already have the burden of English besides their mother tongue. Govt issued this order surreptitiously through wordplay, without any insistence from parents or teachers. The public sentiment was that this was politics to undermine Marathi, the mother tongue in Maharashtra, by giving it secondary status and bringing Hindi forward as a transactional language, thus attacking diversity. " AAP's Mukund Kirdat said, "There was no reason to change the existing three-language formula starting at the secondary level. The opposition was not against Hindi or a third language but against its implementation from Std I." Chief coordinator of Shikshan Vikas Manch, Madhav Suryawanshi, said, "While CM has announced cancellation of the GR, considering past experience, we cannot trust this declaration till a notification is issued. Earlier, despite CM and the education minister publicly stating that three languages would not be made compulsory from Std I, govt still implemented the same decision. Until an order is issued stating that the decision stands cancelled, govt's stance cannot be trusted. Govt should issue that order."
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Maharashtra: Academicians welcome scrapping of GRs on three language policy
Academics in Pune welcomed Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's announcement of the scrapping of the two government resolutions (GRs) on three-language policy on Sunday evening. The first resolution had introduced Hindi as the compulsory third language from class 1 in Maharashtra State Board schools, while the amended second resolution gave students the option to choose any Indian language as their third language. However, the decision to introduce Hindi as a third language was met with opposition from academics, language experts, and political groups. Now, Fadnavis has announced that the GRs will be scrapped and a committee headed by Dr Narendra Jadhav will relook the issue. Laxmikant Deshmukh, the chairperson of the government-appointed Language Consultation Committee that has been strongly opposing the move, said that the government has bowed to the unity of the Marathi people. 'There was no need to introduce a third language without putting any thought into the decision. Hindi language is being taught from class 5. So, increasing the student's burden from class 1 was not required. There is also no need to form the committee and the move should have been just cancelled completely. It gives the feeling that the government still has the thought of implementing Hindi as the third language. The fear will remain,' he told The Indian Express. Vasant Kalpande, former Director of School Education of Maharashtra, said it was wrong to make such a GR in the first place. 'Now, a committee has been formed. We had recommended the same to the SCERT director today. Although the meeting had no relation to this decision (of scrapping), the decision was made parallely,' he added. Milind Joshi, president of the Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Mahamandal, shared a statement saying the decision is in the interest of the state and its students. ' On behalf of the Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Mahamandal, I congratulate him (Fadnavis) wholeheartedly. He was the one who had taken the initiative to make Marathi Language education compulsory. I hope that he will continue to make decisions in the interest of the Marathi language in the future,' the statement mentioned. Former head of Maharashtra School Principals Association Mahendra Ganpule told The Indian Express said that the announcement has been made to cool down the political climate that had emerged. 'But a committee has been formed under Narendra Jadhav. Who will be the members of that committee? We can say that at least for this year this crisis has been averted but the fight will have to be kept on until the decision of having a third language doesn't get completely cancelled,' he added. 7-hour marathon meet Earlier in the day, two marathon meetings stretching to 7 hours took place at the State Council Of Educational Research And Training in Pune between officials, academics and language stakeholders over the three-language issue. SCERT Director Rahul Rekhawar and Education Commissioner Sachindra Pratap Singh met Deshmukh, Kalpande, Joshi, Ganpule, Deccan Education Society's Anand Katikar, former Joint director of education Bhau Gawande, former education secretary of Balbharti Dhanwanti Hardikar, who expressed their opposition to the introduction of the three-language policy. Just as the last few members of the meeting were walking out of the gate of the building at 7pm, news of Fadnavis announcing the cancellation of the GRs rolled in. Soham is a Correspondent with the Indian Express in Pune. A journalism graduate, he was a fact-checker before joining the Express. Soham currently covers education and is also interested in civic issues, health, human rights, and politics. ... Read More
Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Marathi Sahitya Mahamandal to join protest against language imposition
The Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Mahamandal on Saturday announced its participation in a protest rally scheduled for July 5 in Mumbai, opposing the government's decision to introduce Hindi or other Indian languages as compulsory subjects from Class 1 onwards. The announcement was made by the Mahamandal president, Prof Milind Joshi. Joshi pointed out that although the education minister had earlier announced a pause on implementing the language policy, the State government later issued an official notice reaffirming its April 16 decision. Joshi noted that this was done without consulting education experts, language advocacy organisations, or the state's own language advisory committee. (REPRESENTATIVE PHOTO) Joshi, however, clarified that the rally is not affiliated with any political party. 'The Mahamandal has no political interest. Our sole objective is to protect the Marathi language and ensure it continues to thrive with pride. We are not against any language, but we oppose the imposition of any language,' he said. He also pointed out that although the education minister had earlier announced a pause on implementing the language policy, the State government later issued an official notice reaffirming its April 16 decision. Joshi noted that this was done without consulting education experts, language advocacy organisations, or the state's own language advisory committee. 'This disregard for expert opinion and scientific research on language learning highlights the government's insensitivity towards Marathi-speaking citizens,' he said. He further stressed that introducing a third language at the primary level adds a cognitive burden on children, who already struggle with Marathi and English. 'At such a young age, students perceive any non-native language as foreign, and it hinders learning. Child psychology supports this view,' he explained. 'Even though Marathi and English are mandatory up to Class 10, many students in Class 8 still struggle with reading in their second language,' Joshi said.
The Hindu
19-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Row over Hindi: Marathi literary body opposes three-language formula
The Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Mahamandal, an apex Marathi literary body, has opposed the Maharashtra government's decision to adopt a three-language formula for classes 1 to 5, claiming the New Education Policy does not recommend it. The Mahamandal's statement came on Wednesday (June 18, 2025) amid opposition from the Congress and Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena to an amended government order issued on Tuesday which said Hindi would "generally" be a third language for these classes. "It is clearly mentioned [in NEP] that a third language should be introduced from Class 6," a release from the Mahamandal said. It also questioned the need to teach a third language when many schools do not have enough teachers, and students of higher classes struggle to read Marathi books of Class 2 level. "Instead of improving the quality of education, attempts are being made to make a third language compulsory," it claimed. Though the state government has provided that students can opt for any other Indian language instead of Hindi, it would be practically impossible as teachers of these languages will have to be brought from a respective state which is very difficult, it said. The Mahamandal claimed its opposition to Hindi was for cultural reasons as Hindi's "invasion" of Marathi was increasing. It also asked why the Maharashtra government has adopted such a policy when Hindi is not compulsory from Class 1 in any other State. A government resolution (GR) issued on Tuesday said Hindi will "generally" be a 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 other Indian language. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said, "We had earlier made Hindi compulsory, but in the GR issued yesterday, that compulsion has been removed... students can now opt for any Indian language as a third language."
