Students Can Now Choose Any Indian Language as 3rd Option

Chief minister linked the change to NEP, which promotes a three-language formula

- HT Correspondent

PUNE: In a significant shift in language education policy, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday announced that Hindi is no longer compulsory for school students as the third language.

Under the revised state government resolution (GR), students in Marathi and English medium schools can now opt for any Indian language as their third language from Classes 1 to 5.

Speaking in Dehu, Fadnavis clarified that while Marathi remains compulsory, Hindi will be offered as a default option, not a mandatory one. If a group of at least 20 students in a class prefers another Indian language, schools will be required to accommodate the request by appointing a teacher or providing online classes if needed.

The chief minister linked the change to the New Education Policy (NEP), which promotes a three-language formula—comprising the mother tongue and two additional languages, one of which must be Indian. He emphasised that although English is widely favoured, Indian languages should not be overlooked. "Indian languages are richer than English. Thanks to NEP, we've begun teaching engineering, medicine, and management courses in Marathi, transforming it into a language of knowledge," he said.