After Political Outrage, Maharashtra Makes Hindi Default But Not Mandatory In Primary Classes

The Maharashtra government has announced that Hindi will be taught as the default third language in schools across the state.

The decision, formalised through a revised notification issued on Tuesday (17 June), applies to primary student in both Marathi and English-medium schools.

According to a report by NDTV, the new directive updates an earlier order from April, which had made Hindi a compulsory third language for primary students.

In the latest version, the word “compulsory” has been removed, but Hindi remains the default third language choice.

This comes after the earlier notification had triggered political opposition from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, which includes the Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), and the Congress.

The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), led by Raj Thackeray, who is generally seen as aligned with the BJP in most circumstances, also expressed objections.

The Maharashtra Education Department, in its revised notification, 'compulsory' but it will be the 'generally' taught third language from Class I to V.

Students can, however, opt for other languages if they want, the notification said.

However, there must be a minimum of 20 students in a class who want to learn another language. If that threshold is met, the school will make that subject available.