The state School Education Ministry is set to announce that Marathi will be compulsory in all the schools in Maharashtra from the upcoming academic year, regardless of the board affiliation.
At an informal meeting with media personnel at Mantralaya on Tuesday, School Education Minister Dadaji Bhuse, informed that the state government will announce the move in the coming months. According to a senior official in the Ministry, this move follows the recognition of Marathi as a classical language in October last year.
Following taking charge of the Ministry on December 30, Bhuse has held a series of meetings with all stakeholders, including, teachers, representatives of teaching and non-teaching associations and is said to have asked for their opinion on the matter.
Sources close to the Minister informed that most of the schools are at par with the move.
The official further stated, “The government is committed to making Marathi a compulsory subject in all schools, and expert opinions will be sought in the coming months to ensure that the policy is effectively formed and implemented."
The Ministry is expected to conduct several meetings in the coming months to deliberate on the details of the policy. Once expert feedback is collected, the policy will be formalised and subsequently implemented across the state in the new academic year.
Dr. Vasant Kalpande, former Director of Education, Maharashtra appreciated the move and opined that “making Marathi compulsory will help the students get equipped with the tool of better communication while living in Maharashtra.”
However, the former Education Director also advocated in regards to the students coming from different states only for a few years. According to him exceptions could be made in such cases.
The Government of Maharashtra had previously mandated the compulsory teaching of Marathi in all schools in 2020. However, its implementation was delayed due to the COVID-19 lockdown.Marathi subject compulsory in all Maharashtra schools from next academic year
