Maharashtra language panel opposes Hindi from class 1 | India News

MUMBAI: The Language Advisory Committee in Maharashtra on Sunday publicly opposed the introduction of Hindi as a 3rd language alongside Marathi and English for college students in Class I to V in state faculties, placing the state authorities on the defensive.
Maharashtra is the second main state after Tamil Nadu the place introducing a obligatory third language in major faculty is resulting in a blowback. The committee, in a letter to the chief minister, mentioned the transfer was neither academically justified nor “in tune with students’ psychology”.
On April 16, a directive from the state introduced implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) in Maharashtra – and with it, the clause that Hindi can be taught as third language from Grade 1. It resulted in a clamour on social media with criticism led by opposition events.
On Sunday, CM Devendra Fadnavis mentioned he had not learn the panel’s letter however clarified that Hindi was not changing Marathi. “Marathi is mandatory. But under NEP, it is mandatory to learn three languages, of which two need to be Indian languages. So when the language panel headed by the minister submitted their report, they opted for Hindi as we have the required strength of faculty to teach Hindi.”
But, he clarified, if some faculties need to train one other Indian language rather than Hindi and if there are at the least 20 college students opting for a similar, a trainer will be supplied; if not, educating can in all probability happen on-line. And this could possibly be particularly thought-about for faculties in areas bordering different states, he added.
However, the language committee has warned that the 3-language coverage is “unscientific” and will place pointless strain on younger college students. They prompt as an alternative {that a} requirement for less than two languages, together with Marathi, be enforced till Class XII. The committee’s letter mentioned, “Ideally, SCERT (State Council of Educational Research and Training) Pune should have consulted the committee before making such decisions. Our membership includes both professors and recognised experts in linguistics and language sciences.”