Maharashtra Government Mandates Marathi In All Schools For Classes 1 To 10

Marathi Language Compulsory: The government of Maharashtra has made it compulsory for students of Classes 1 to 10 to study Marathi language in all schools. This was announced by Maharashtra Education Minister Dada Bhuse on Monday who said that the government aims to promote Marathi and the legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, according to new agency Asian News International (ANI).

The education minister said schools or any institution not complying with the directive will face strict action. During the legislative assembly’s monsoon session, he announced that the state government had issued instructions to ensure Marathi is taught compulsorily in all schools of the state.

BJP MLA Raises Concerns Over Schools Not Complying

BJP MLA Atul Bhatkhalkar raised concerns over schools not adhering to the directive properly and not teaching Marathi as a compulsory subject. The legislators also pointed out that the penalties applied on schools for non-compliance were inadequate and that the application of the existing rules have remained ineffective.

The education minister, while responding to the concerns raised by BJP MLA Atul Bhatkhalkar said a special inspection campaign will be launched across the state which will review the compulsory teaching of Marathi in all schools.

"The Maharashtra government is fully committed to the preservation, promotion, and propagation of the Marathi language. He stated that a special inspection campaign will be launched across the state, reviewing the compulsory teaching of Marathi in all schools."

"If any violations are found during the inspections, strict action will be taken against the concerned schools and officials," the minister said, according to ANI.

Increased Coverage of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj In School Textbooks

The education minister also said that the coverage of the history of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in school textbooks has been increased. He said that with the approval of the Central government, the textbooks of other education boards have been expanded to 22 pages from the earlier one-and-a-half columns. This will allow students to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the Maratha ruler's life and contributions.

The directive comes a day after CBSE announced that the current session Class 10 students will not be required to study under the newly introduced three-language policy, while the current batches of Classes 7, 8 and 9 would not be required to give board examination in a third language when they progress to Class 10.

The three-language curriculum mandates the study of two native languages such as Hindi, Marathi and a third language which could be a foreign language.