Maharashtra Cultural Affairs Minister Ashish Shelar has clearly said that only Marathi is mandatory in the state’s schools, not Hindi. Speaking to reporters in Mumbai on Monday, Mr Shelar said the recent arguments about the third language in schools are “unrealistic, unreasonable and illogical”.

The minister explained that the state government has not made Hindi compulsory from Classes 1 to 5. “In fact, our government has removed the earlier compulsion of teaching Hindi from Classes 5 to 8. Instead, we have made it (Hindi) available as an optional choice alongside several other languages,” he said.

Mr Shelar, who is also the Mumbai BJP president, assured that the state government supports the Marathi language strongly and also cares about students’ interests. “We are staunch supporters of the Marathi language and equally committed to the interests of students,” he added.

Hindi among optional languages, not forced on students

Last week, the Maharashtra government released an amended order. It said Hindi will “generally” be taught as the third language in Marathi and English medium schools from Classes 1 to 5. But it also clarified that Hindi is not compulsory. Any school can offer another Indian language if at least 20 students from a grade agree to it.

Mr Shelar said the protests and criticism are based on false information. “Criticism arising from misunderstanding is acceptable in a democracy. Some people are also taking to protests, which is their right,” he said. But he warned against “misconceptions and false narratives” regarding the policy.

He further explained that the BJP has not imposed any language on students. “In Maharashtra, only Marathi has been made mandatory. No other language has been imposed. Previously, Hindi was compulsory from Classes 5 to 8, but this mandate has now been removed. Hindi is now only offered as one of the optional third language choices from Classes 1 to 5, and with flexibility in selection,” he said.

The minister added that 15 languages are now available for students to choose from as their third language. Hindi is only one among them.

Experts, NEP, and equality behind policy decision

Mr Shelar said a proper study was done before finalising the third language options. A committee of government officers and more than 450 language and education experts worked on this issue for over a year. They prepared a draft policy, which was shared with the public for feedback. More than 3,800 suggestions and objections were received. After studying these, a steering committee submitted a report to the government recommending Hindi as one of the optional third languages.

He said the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 does not make it compulsory to learn any particular third language. “Had the BJP intended to impose Hindi or any other language, we would have done so when finalising the NEP. Hence, the accusations made against our intentions are completely baseless and irrational,” said Mr Shelar.

He also shared some history about language policies. “The three-language formula was introduced in 1968. The 1964 and 1966 Education Commission reports recommended learning Hindi as the third language for national integration. Hence, the current debate is unreasonable,” he stated.

Students need equal academic opportunities, says Shelar

Mr Shelar said that there are nearly 9.7 lakh students in Class 1 under the Maharashtra State Board, and 10 per cent of them are in non-Marathi medium schools. Another 10 per cent are enrolled in CBSE, IGCSE, Cambridge, and IB boards. Due to the 2020 rule making Marathi mandatory, these 20 per cent of students now study three languages – English, their own language, and Marathi.

He warned that if Marathi-medium students are allowed to study only two languages, it will cause unfairness. “If we decide to limit students from Marathi-medium schools to just two languages, it will lead to academic inequality,” Mr Shelar said.

He explained that under the new NEP, students get extra credits for learning different subjects, including languages. These credits are saved in the Academic Bank of Credits. “Students who don’t learn a third language will fall behind by at least 10 per cent in earning these credits,” he added.

Mr Shelar also said that national-level exams are held in 22 languages and often expect students to know a third language. So, if Maharashtra students don’t get this option, they may lose out compared to others from different states.

In the end, the minister repeated that the BJP stands with both the Marathi language and student development. He said, “We are open to any meaningful discussion on this issue. But let’s avoid unrealistic, unreasonable and illogical arguments. I urge media persons, editors, intellectuals, parents and students to understand the real situation and the rationale behind this policy.”

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