Maharashtra Language Panel Opposes Fadnavis Govt’s Move To Make 'Hindi Compulsory' In Schools
The Maharashtra government's decision to make Hindi compulsory in schools from Class 1 has faced opposition from the state's language advisory committee.
The Devendra Fadnavis-led NDA government in Maharashtra has decided to make Hindi compulsory from Class 1 in both Marathi and English medium schools. However, this decision has not been supported by the state’s own language advisory committee, reports anandabazar.com. On Sunday, the committee sent a letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, urging the government to withdraw the decision to make Hindi mandatory in Maharashtra’s schools.
Earlier, the Maharashtra government announced that under the state’s Education Department, all schools would have to teach Hindi as a compulsory third language, alongside Marathi and English. The decision was announced on April 17.
The state government claimed that this step was made in accordance with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. However, the decision sparked controversy from the very beginning. The opposition parties, like the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (SP), strongly criticised the decision of the government.
Amid the row, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis said that the National Education Policy is already in place in the state and the students also need to learn Hindi as well. However, despite the clarification, the debate continued.
“The National Education Policy is already in place in the state. Marathi has been made compulsory in schools. However, students also need to learn Hindi, as it is a language used for communication across the country,” Fadnavis said.
The opposition parties accused the government of trying to “impose Hindi.” Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar remarked, “We wouldn’t have had any problem if Hindi were an optional language. But making it compulsory is like forcing it upon the Marathi people.”
As the decision met strong criticism from the opposition, now the government-appointed language committee has opposed Fadnavis’s decision.
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