Vice Minister Vice Minister of Maharashtra, Ajit Pawar, in the budget session of the State Assembly, in Mumbai. File | Photo credit: PTI
The main vice minister, Ajit Pawar, criticized political parties for opposing the move to make Hindi a third mandatory language for students in classes 1 to 5 in Marathi and English schools.
He said he opposes the decision is increasing “unnecessary disputes due to lack of real problems.”
“Marathi is our mother tongue and will always have the first preference in the state,” said Mr. Pawar outside the inauguration of a national monument dedicated to the Chapekar brothers in Pimpri Chinchwad on Thursday (April 17, 2025).
On Wednesday (April 16), the State School Education Department had issued a government resolution that mentioned the phase implementation of the new curriculum based on recommendations 2020 of the National Educational Policy (NEP).
The Maharashtra government has decided that Hindi as a third language would be mandatory for students in classes 1 to 5 in Marathi and English schools throughout the state, in a deviation from the practice of studying two languages. When leaving critics, Pawar said: “Some people are creating disputes about the Hindi language just because they have nothing to do. English is widely used throughout the country, and similarly, the Hindi is spoken in many sesher. Although there is a dispute a dispute” “”Rashtra Bhasha‘, I don’t want to get into that. ”
The president of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), Raj Tackeray, has criticized the movement, adding that his party will not allow the efforts of the “Hindi-Fy” center to happen in the state. Congress has said that the decision is equivalent to Hindi’s imposition.
Mr. Pawar said that the three languages, Marathi, Hindi and English, are important, but the Marathi will always have primary in the state. “The Marathi must remain intact and continuous to grow,” he said.
Highlighting the role of the center in the promotion of the language, Pawar said: “It was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who gave Marathi the state of a classic language, a decision that had a pending leg in Delhi for years. The Government of the NDA showed the courage to make it come true.” He added that plans are being made to establish a marathi Bhasha Bhavan in Mumbai to further promote the language.
The three languages formula for classes 1 to 5 is part of the new implementation of the curriculum under the false 2020.
The State School Education Department has declared a phase implementation plan of the new curriculum framework designed according to the NEP 2020 recommendations for school education.
Published – April 18, 2025 01:07 PM IST