The Maharashtra government has issued a fresh update regarding the third language taught in schools. As per the new notification released on Tuesday, Hindi will now be the default third language taught in schools across the state.

This comes two months after the government first made Hindi mandatory for all Marathi and English-medium primary schools. That decision had triggered strong reactions from opposition parties and regional groups.

In April, the announcement to make Hindi compulsory led to criticism from the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance and also the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), which is usually considered supportive of the ruling BJP.

The move began the long-standing debate around ‘Hindi imposition’, a concern often raised by non-Hindi speaking states about Hindi being pushed at the cost of regional languages.

After growing protests, School Education Minister Dada Bhuse had said the decision would be put on hold. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis later clarified that only Marathi would remain a compulsory subject for students in the state.

Now, in the revised circular, the Education Department has changed its stance slightly. Hindi is no longer compulsory, but it will be the generally taught third language from Classes 1 to 5.

Students will still have the option to choose another language, but only if at least 20 students in a class ask for it. If that number is met, the school is expected to provide the language.

If the school cannot arrange a teacher for the chosen language, the classes will be held online.

While the government claims the move offers flexibility, critics argue that this is just another way to bring Hindi into schools quietly. Some Marathi cultural groups have said that the state is trying to reintroduce Hindi after backing out of the earlier rule.

Vasant Kalpande, former Chairperson of the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education, questioned the 20-student requirement.

“The provision to make teachers available online is also an attempt to discourage students from opting for any language other than Hindi... Marathi and Hindi have similar scripts, but it will be too much for young students to learn both...” he told PTI.

How this fit into the National Education Policy

The three-language rule is part of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, introduced by the central government. It encourages students to learn three languages — usually English, the regional language, and one other.

However, several non-Hindi speaking states, especially Tamil Nadu, have rejected this. Tamil Nadu follows a two-language policy and has strongly opposed any attempt to add Hindi as a third compulsory language.

The DMK-led Tamil Nadu government has said the two-language formula works well and called the push for Hindi in schools a way of “ruining students' future.”

The central government has responded by saying the NEP does not force students to study Hindi, and that the policy is meant to help people communicate better across states.

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