Maharashtra Schools To Add Hindi From Class 1—Here’s What Changes

The Maharashtra government has announced that Hindi will become a compulsory third language for students from Classes 1 to 5, starting from the 2025-26 academic year, according to a Hindustan Times (HT) report. This move is part of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which aims to build strong language skills in children from an early age.

At present, the three-language rule applies only from secondary school. Now, it will start at the primary level. In Marathi and English medium schools, students will study Hindi from Class 1 onwards. In schools with other media, Marathi and English will become compulsory, and the main medium will be the third language.

This new policy brings big changes to the way children will learn languages. The NEP also introduces a new 5+3+3+4 system in place of the older 10+2+3 model. It divides school into four parts, beginning from age three, and aims to support learning in a better way.

The State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) and Balbharati will create new textbooks and learning materials. Teachers will be trained, school schedules will be updated, and new report cards called 'Holistic Progress Cards' will be used to track student growth in a more balanced way.

However, not everyone agrees with this plan. Some teachers say young children already find it hard to learn just one or two languages. Adding Hindi might confuse them and take time away from important subjects like maths.

Experts like Vasant Kalpande say children should be able to choose other Indian languages too. Others feel the state should protect Marathi and not feel pressure to follow central rules blindly.

While the idea promotes language learning, the challenge lies in making sure it does not overwhelm children or teachers.