Hindi As Third Language in Maharashtra Schools | 20 Jun 2025

Why in News? 

The Maharashtra government has issued a new directive mandating the teaching of Hindi as a third language in Marathi and English medium schools from Classes 1 to 5.

Key Points 

  • Hindi as Third Language:  
    • The revised government resolution (GR), stated that Hindi will “generally” be the third language. 
    • The GR is part of implementing the State Curriculum Framework for School Education 2024, aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. 
    • Students can opt for another Indian language if at least 20 students per grade in a school make such a request.  
      • In that case, the government will provide either a language teacher or online instruction. 
    • The directive makes Marathi compulsory across all school mediums and mandates inclusion of the medium of instruction, Marathi, and English under the three-language formula. 
  • NEP 2020 and the Three Language Formula: 
    • NEP 2020 Policy: Mandates that students learn three languages, with at least two being Indian languages. 
    • Changes from Previous Policies: Unlike the NEP 1968, which required Hindi, English, and a regional language, NEP 2020 offers flexibility in language choices, allowing states and students to decide their language preferences. 
    • Regional Flexibility: The policy promotes multilingualism by respecting cultural and regional diversity, giving states and students the freedom to select languages. 

Evolution of the Three Language Formula 

  • Article 351 of the Constitution: Directs the Union to promote the spread of the Hindi language. 
  • Kothari Commission (1964-66): Introduced the idea of the three-language formula, which was later included in the National Policy on Education (1968). 
  • NEP 1968: Recommended the use of regional languages in primary and secondary education and advocated for their adoption at the university level as well. 
  • 1992 Programme of Action: Suggested that the mother tongue or regional language should be the medium of instruction at the pre-school level. 
  • Right to Education Act, 2009: Stated that, whenever possible, the medium of instruction should be the child’s mother tongue. 
  • NEP 2020: Advocates for using the home language, mother tongue, local language, or regional language as the medium of instruction at least until Grade 5, with a preference for extending this till Grade 8 and beyond.