Maharashtra Makes Marathi Mandatory: All Schools Till Class X To Have Language As Compulsory Subject

“School education department has taken the decision to make Marathi compulsory in state schools across all mediums, and run by all boards from the academic year 2020-21,” Minister Varsha Gaikwad tweeted on Monday.

Image: PTI

New Delhi: The Maharashtra state school education department on Monday announced the implementation of Marathi as a compulsory subject till Class X in all schools, including those affiliated to CBSE, ICSE, IB and IGCSE boards. "As per the legislation to make Marathi compulsory in all schools of any medium in the state, the school education department has issued a government decision to implement it from the academic year 2020-21." Maharashtra School Education Minister tweeted in Marathi. The rule will be implemented in phases, involving two classes each year. For the 2020-21 academic year, students of classes I and VI will be mandated to study Marathi, followed by others in subsequent academic years – classes II and VII in 2021-22, class III, and VIII in 2022-23, classes IV and IX in 2023-24 and classes V and X in 2024-25. For students of schools whose medium of teaching is not Marathi, the Union government’s three-language rule will apply. The notification said that students studying Marathi from 1st to 5th standard will be made to focus on skills including listening, speaking, reading, and writing. While students from 6th to 10th standards will focus on self-expression and comprehension. No exemptions have been made for students of different states. School authorities and teachers have mixed responses to the decision. While schools have welcomed the decision, teachers claim that the subject should not be enforced. Instead, the state should keep it optional, because there are many students from other states who are studying in Mumbai. The mandate is a part of the Maharashtra Compulsory Teaching and Learning of Marathi Language in Schools Bill, 2020, which was passed in both the houses of the state legislature in the last budget session. According to it, schools can be fined for not complying with this rule.