Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Sep 5: The Maharashtra government has formally constituted a committee led by former Planning Commission member Narendra Jadhav to recommend the framework for implementing a trilingual language policy in schools, aligning with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. A government resolution (GR) announcing the formation of the committee was released on Friday, following a decision taken on June 30 amid heated controversy over the introduction of Hindi in primary classes.
The committee has been tasked with determining how Marathi, English, and a third language—proposed to be Hindi—should be introduced in schools, specifically from Classes 1 to 5. The move to form the committee came after the state withdrew two earlier government resolutions that had sparked widespread criticism for allegedly promoting "Hindi imposition" in a non-Hindi-speaking state.
Committee Composition:
In addition to Narendra Jadhav as chairperson, the committee includes:
• Sadanand More – Former Chairman, Language Advisory Committee
• Vaman Kendra – Director, National School of Drama
• Aparna Morris – Educationist, Pune
• Sonali Kulkarni Joshi – Head of Language Science, Deccan College, Pune
• Madhushree Savji – Educationist, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
• Bhushan Shukla – Child Psychologist, Pune
• Sanjay Yadav – State Project Director, Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan, Mumbai (Member Secretary)
The committee has been given three months to study the issue and submit its recommendations.
Terms of Reference:
The panel will:
• Review the Raghunath Mashelkar Committee report
• Consult stakeholders, institutions, and education experts
• Study how other states and union territories have adopted the NEP 2020
• Recommend the appropriate standard from which languages should be introduced
• Propose implementation methods and student choice models
This committee will operate as per the guidelines outlined in the June 30, 2025, government decision.
Background and Controversy:
The language policy has been a politically sensitive issue in Maharashtra. On April 16, the government had issued a GR making Hindi a compulsory third language for students in Classes 1 to 5 in both English and Marathi medium schools. A revised GR on June 17 softened the stance, stating Hindi would be "generally" the third language, but not mandatory.
Despite this revision, the move reignited the long-standing debate around linguistic federalism. Political parties including Shiv Sena (UBT), Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), Congress, and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) strongly opposed what they called an unconstitutional attempt to enforce Hindi in the state.
On July 6, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and MNS leader Raj Thackeray held a joint rally, celebrating the rollback of the government resolutions and vowing to resist any further efforts to prioritize Hindi over Marathi in state schools.
Government's Clarification:
In response to the backlash, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis clarified that no final decision had been taken and the Narendra Jadhav-led committee would assess the issue comprehensively before any language policy is implemented.
“We want the implementation to be well thought-out. The committee will study which classes the languages should be introduced in, how students can be given choices, and how the policy should be phased. Until the committee submits its report, both the April 16 and June 17 GRs have been cancelled,” Fadnavis said.
As the language debate continues to shape education policy in Maharashtra, the committee’s recommendations are expected to play a critical role in balancing regional linguistic identity with national policy objectives.