The Maharashtra government has announced that Hindi will be made mandatory as a third language for students in Classes 1 to 5. This change will begin from the academic year 2025–2026. The move is part of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
The school education department shared this update through a government resolution on Wednesday, April 16. At present, the three-language system is used only at the secondary school level. With this decision, it will now start from the primary level.
This will bring big changes to the language subjects, especially in Marathi and English-medium schools. Hindi will be taught from Class 1 in these schools under the new State Curriculum Framework.
In schools with other mediums of instruction, English and Marathi will be compulsory. The third language will be the medium of instruction itself.
The NEP will be put into action in four stages. It will begin with Class 1 in 2025–2026. The new system will have four parts: Foundation (ages 3 to 8), Preparatory (Classes 3 to 5), Pre-Secondary (Classes 6 to 8), and Secondary (Classes 9 to 12).
This model will replace the old 10+2+3 format with a 5+3+3+4 structure. To help with the change, schools will also get new exam rules, updated daily timetables, and teacher training. A new kind of report card will also be used. It is called the Holistic Progress Card.
This report card will show more than just marks. It will include notes on student behavior and personality. It is meant to reduce stress and focus on real learning. It will be introduced in Class 1 in 2025–2026.
Balbharati and the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) will prepare the new textbooks and teaching materials. They will also create a "Setu Syllabus" to support this transition. Books from NCERT will be updated to match the new needs.
Many teachers and education experts are discussing the new rule. Concerns have been raised that most primary schools only have two teachers and how students will they manage three languages when students already struggle with reading and writing in Marathi in their first year.