Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis confirmed on Wednesday, July 16, that the state will fully implement the three-language formula in all schools. He said that while the third language will not be fixed, the rule will be enforced completely.
Fadnavis was speaking during the Mumbai Tak Baithak, a YouTube interview series by the India Today group's regional Marathi channel. He explained that the earlier rule making Hindi compulsory was changed after discussions. Students can now pick Hindi if they wish or choose any other Indian language.
CM added that if there are not enough students for a particular language, the government is ready to offer that subject online. His comments came days after Uddhav and Raj Thackeray raised objections to the imposition of Hindi. During a joint rally on July 5, both leaders said they had no problem with Hindi but would not tolerate its forced imposition.
In response, Fadnavis said the issue was being made political. He said the aim was inclusive education, not preferences. He also said that an expert committee headed by Narendra Jadhav would decide whether to start the formula from Class 1 or at a later stage. He said the plan would be implemented across the state.
Fadnavis said the government does not want to promote English at the cost of Indian languages. He also pointed out the practical challenge of finding teachers for languages with low student numbers. If only two students want to study Telugu, it is hard to find a teacher, he said. In such cases, online or hybrid learning may be used.
He also criticised Uddhav Thackeray for changing his stand. Fadnavis said that it was the earlier MVA government that had proposed making Hindi and English compulsory from Class 1 to 12. The three-language formula has faced criticism from both Sena (UBT) and MNS. They said it forces Hindi over Marathi.
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