Hindi as Compulsory 3rd language in Maharashtra

• 19 Apr 2025

Why in News? 

The Maharashtra government has made Hindi a compulsory third language for Classes I to V in Marathi and English medium schools, aligning with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.  

 Key Points 

• National Education Policy 2020: 
  • About:   
    • The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 aims to address India's evolving development needs by overhauling the education system to meet 21st century goals and Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4), while preserving India's cultural heritage.   
    • It replaced the National Policy on Education, 1986, which was modified in 1992.  
  • Salient Features:  
    • Universal Access: Focuses on providing access to education from preschool through secondary levels.  
    • Early Childhood Education: Transitions from the 10+2 to a 5+3+3+4 system, including children aged 3-6 in the school curriculum with an emphasis on Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE).  
    • Multilingualism: Promotes using mother tongues or regional languages as the medium of instruction up to Grade 5, with options for Sanskrit and other languages. Indian Sign Language (ISL) will be standardised.  
    • Inclusive Education: Emphasises support for Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Groups (SEDGs), children with disabilities, and the establishment of "Bal Bhavans."  
    • Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) Enhancement: Aim to raise the Gross Enrolment Ratio from 26.3% to 50% by 2035, adding 3.5 crore new seats. 

 Hindi Language 

• Articles Related to Hindi:  Article 210 states that the language to be used in the legislature can be the official language of the state, Hindi, or English. 
  • Article 351 states that it shall be the duty of the Union to promote the spread of the Hindi language, to develop it so that it may serve as a medium of expression for all the elements of the composite culture of India. 
• Hindi is one of the 22 languages listed in the eighth schedule of the Constitution of India and It is not a classical language.  
  • The language is named after the Persian word 'Hind' meaning 'land of the Indus River' and is a descendant of Sanskrit.