Maharashtra govt forms committee to implement compulsory Marathi education in schools

The Maharashtra government on Thursday announced the formation of an eight-member committee to implement the policy of compulsory Marathi education in schools across the state. The state school education and sports department declared the formation of the committee to draft rules regarding the implementation of 'The Maharashtra Compulsory Teaching and Learning of Marathi Language in Schools Act, 2020'.

The Act mandates compulsory teaching and learning of Marathi in all government and private schools from Class 1 to 10 across all mediums and boards in Maharashtra, stated a government resolution release. Section 16 (1) of the Act allows the state to frame rules for the law that came into being on April 1. The eight-member committee will be headed by the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) Director Dinkar Patil, informed the department.

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The rule will be implemented in phases

In June, the department had announced the implementation of Marathi as a compulsory subject in all schools. The rule will be implemented in phases, involving two classes each year. For the 2020-21 academic year, Class I and Class VI students will be mandated to study Marathi, followed by Class II and Class VII in 2021-22, Class III and Class VIII in 2022-23, Class IV and Class IX in 2023-24 and Class V and Class X in 2024-25, the department said.

Special focus will be given to the listening, speaking, reading and writing skills of the students in Marathi from classes I to V and self-expression and comprehension will be focused from classes VI to X, it added.

Furthermore, for students of studying in mediums other than Marathi, the learning and difficulty levels of the subject as well as the Union government’s three language rule will apply.

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Members of the committee

The other members of the committee included Deputy Secretary (School Education) Rajendra Pawar, Maharashtra State Board Secretary Ashok Bhosale, Marathi language department deputy head Jagram Bhatkar,  SCERT coordinating officer Vikas Garad, Balbharti special officer Rajiv Patole, Additional Secretary (Marathi language) Nanda Raut and SCERT deputy head Varsharani Bhopale, as per the notification.

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