Maharashtra Likely To Retain Hindi From Class 5
The development comes nearly three-and-a-half months after the Narendra Jadhav Committee submitted its report to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis: Reports
MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government is likely to continue introducing Hindi from Class 5, effectively shelving the contentious three-language policy that proposed Marathi, English and Hindi from the primary level. Highly placed sources indicated that the government is wary of implementing the revised three-language formula proposed under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
The development comes nearly three-and-a-half months after the Narendra Jadhav Committee submitted its report to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. However, the recommendations remain under wraps as the state cabinet is yet to take a final decision on the issue.
A senior official, requesting anonymity, said the government was inclined to retain the existing structure under which Hindi is introduced from Class 5, rather than implement the revised three-language formula proposed under the NEP 2020.
“Hindi has long been part of the standard curriculum in Maharashtra’s primary schools, even before 1999. Traditionally, Marathi and English served as the primary mediums of instruction in Zilla Parishad (ZP) schools, while Hindi was introduced as a subject from Class 5 onwards. The School Education Department is also referring to a recent CBSE circular on the three-language policy. Under this, the CBSE has made the study of three languages compulsory for students entering Class VI, in line with the NEP 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023, from the current academic year,” the official said.
This effectively means that implementation of the three-language policy from Class 1 is likely to be deferred for the current academic year as well, which is scheduled to begin on June 15, 2026.
On April 16, 2025, the School Education Department issued a Government Resolution (GR) making Hindi compulsory, along with Marathi and English, for students from Classes 1 to 5. The move triggered widespread protests across Maharashtra, with opposition parties and pro-Marathi groups accusing the BJP-led Mahayuti government of attempting to impose Hindi in Marathi and English medium schools.
Amid mounting backlash, the department issued another GR on June 17, making Hindi optional. However, the revised order also failed to placate the opposition, prompting several organisations and political parties to intensify protests against the alleged imposition of Hindi at the cost of Marathi.
Facing sustained political pressure and public opposition, the state government scrapped both GRs in July 2025 and constituted an eight-member committee under former Savitribai Phule Pune University vice-chancellor and economist Narendra Jadhav to recommend the implementation of the three-language formula in primary education.
In February 2026, the Jadhav committee submitted its final report to the state government. While the cabinet is yet to officially disclose the committee’s recommendations, indications from within government circles suggest that the politically sensitive proposal to implement the three-language formula from Class 1 may now be put on the back burner.
