Maharashtra classifies English as ‘foreign language’ in curriculum despite objections

Even the Constitution of India accepted English as an official language of the country,” pointed out education expert Vasant Kalpande

MUMBAI: After the first draft of the State Curriculum Framework (SCF) for school education invited much criticism when it was released in May, the Maharashtra State Council for Educational Research and Training (SCERT) has released a revised final version. The first draft had references to the Manusmriti and a proposal to include religious texts like the Bhagavad Gita and Manache Shlok by Samarth Ramdas Swami, on account of which it became controversial.

English classified as ‘foreign language’ in revised SCF despite objections

Maharashtra’s school education minister, Deepak Kesarkar, had assured the public that a revised version would be published after considering all inputs. In response, stakeholders were invited to submit their feedback online. Following a series of meetings in August and September led by Kesarkar, the final SCF-SE was approved by a steering committee.

However, the final SCF too has come under fire from education experts for retaining the classification of English as a ‘foreign language’. The language was classified this way for the first time ever in the old SCF draft, and it was not changed in the final draft despite suggestions and objections. “Even the Constitution of India accepted English as an official language of the country,” pointed out education expert Vasant Kalpande.

When questioned about this, Rahul Rekhavar, director of SCERT, said, “Even though English is approved by the Indian Constitution, it is not a language of Indian origin.” Rekhavar said this was the final SCF version approved by the government after due consultation and taking public objections into account.

The final version of SCF has introduced a new subject titled ‘Advanced English’ to help students prepare for international English language proficiency exams such as IELTS, TOEFL, GRE, and GMAT. Students can now choose between Standard English and Advanced English as part of their language curriculum.

One notable addition in the revised framework is the formal introduction of Marathi as a compulsory subject with three proficiency levels: Professional, Functional and General. This move aims to strengthen language-learning by offering tailored levels based on the students’ needs and abilities.

In the foreign languages category, Hebrew, a first in the state’s curriculum, is now on offer along with other foreign languages such as German, French, Japanese, Spanish, Chinese, Persian and Arabic. SCERT will rely on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) to structure curriculum development, textbooks, and evaluation methods. An official from the school education department said that Memorandums of Understanding would be signed with foreign universities to establish certification processes for these language courses.

In keeping with the New Education Policy, the SCF is more focused on languages and the elective pattern. The document states that to get students to be competent in various competitive examinations, the state government has decided to introduce the national NCERT-approved textbooks for mathematics and science in state board schools. For history and geography, the content will largely remain the same, with some materials sourced from an NCERT-recommended syllabus.

The roll-out of the new curriculum will begin gradually with Classes 1 to 3, then go on to Classes 5 to 8 and finally Class 11, all in the academic year 2025-26.

Some major changes

Sanskrit, which is currently offered from Class 8, will now be a subject from Class 6.

Agriculture will be a part of the curriculum from Class 1.

For Classes 11 and 12, over 40 subjects have been divided into nine groups, and students must choose eight subjects from these groups.