Maharashtra makes Hindi ‘general’ third language in schools after backlash from Marathi language advocates

The Maharashtra government has issued a fresh order stating that Hindi will be taught as a third language to ‘students in Marathi and English medium schools in the State from Classes 1 to 5.An amended government order issued on Tuesday (June 17, 2025) said Hindi will "generally" be the third language, instead of being mandatory, but gave an option to opt out if 20 students per grade in a school express the desire to study any Indian language other than Hindi.

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While some Marathi language advocates accused the government of reintroducing the policy through the "backdoor" after initially backtracking, the opposition Congress accused Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of "stabbing" the Marathi people in the chest. The Maharashtra School Education Department issued the government resolution (GR) on Tuesday as part of the implementation of the 'State Curriculum Framework for School Education 2024', aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.Explained | How move to include Hindi from Class 1 has injected language politics into MaharashtraAccording to the GR, Hindi will "generally" be the third language for students from Classes 1 to 5 in Marathi and English medium schools. "Those who wish to learn any other language as an option to Hindi, should meet the expectation of 20 students from each standard in a school. In such a situation, a teacher for that particular language will be made available or the language will be taught online," the order stated.Watch: Imposing Hindi weakens India’s pluralism | The Hindu Huddle 2025Marathi will be a compulsory language in all medium schools, the GR said.Critics claimed the government's latest move contradicts earlier statements of School Education Minister Dada Bhuse that Hindi would not be mandatory for the primary classes.