No language imposition under NEP 2020: Education minister

State school education minister Dada Bhuse on Wednesday said that the government resolution mentioning Hindi as mandatory will be withdrawn, and a new resolution will be issued soon

The Maharashtra government, which had made the Hindi language mandatory in schools from Class 1, now seems to have softened its stance. After facing widespread criticism over its decision, the state government was forced to retract its decision. State school education minister Dada Bhuse on Wednesday said that the government resolution mentioning Hindi as mandatory will be withdrawn, and a new resolution will be issued soon.

The minister said that in a recent steering committee meeting, Hindi was proposed as the third language in the school curriculum, but this was misinterpreted in the government order which used the term “mandatory”, causing confusion. (HT)

“The new government resolution will omit the term “mandatory” in reference to Hindi,” he said. Bhuse said that the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 promotes a three-language policy, requiring two of the three languages taught to be Indian and there is no provision to impose any particular language on students.

The minister said that in a recent steering committee meeting, Hindi was proposed as the third language in the school curriculum, but this was misinterpreted in the government order which used the term “mandatory”, causing confusion.

The minister reiterated that Marathi remains a compulsory subject in schools across Maharashtra. Furthermore, even in schools with other mediums of instruction, Marathi is now a required subject, and teachers appointed to teach it must hold degrees in Marathi.