Marathi Sahitya Mahamandal welcomes rollback of GRs making Hindi mandatory from class 1

The Mahamandal had been protesting against the two GRs issued by the state’s school education department earlier this year

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.