Maharashtra govt's 3-language formula for Classes 1 to 5 'unfair': Konkan Marathi literary body

THANE: The Konkan Marathi Sahitya Parishad on Tuesday opposed the Maharashtra government's three-language formula for young students, claiming it was "unfair and inappropriate". The state government last week issued an amended order, stating Hindi will generally be taught as the third language to students in Marathi and English medium schools from Classes 1 to 5.

The government had maintained that Hindi would not be compulsory, but mandated consent of at least 20 students per grade in a school for studying any Indian language other than Hindi.

The Konkan Marathi Sahitya Parishad, in a statement, claimed the government policy does not consider the cognitive, emotional and linguistic capacity of children in the early stages of learning.

"From the perspective of the Konkan Marathi Sahitya Parishad, considering the mental, physical and intellectual capabilities of students from Class 1 to 4, it seems unfair to insist on Hindi as a third language from Class 1," it said.

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The literary body urged the government to reconsider this decision, stating that the long-term developmental needs of children should take precedence over linguistic impositions". It said that such decisions should involve wider consultations with educators, child psychologists and local communities.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday said a final decision on the three-language formula will be taken only after consultations with all stakeholders, including litterateurs, language experts and political leaders. Fadnavis chaired a meeting at his official residence in south Mumbai late Monday night to deliberate on the issue.

Detailed discussions were held on the implications of the three-language policy under the New Education Policy (NEP). It was decided that the actual ground situation in various states will be presented for reference, and a comprehensive presentation would be made on the academic impact, especially with regard to Marathi students, a statement from the Chief Minister's Office said.

"It was agreed that a structured consultation process be conducted with scholars, writers, political leaders and other stakeholders before arriving at a final decision," Fadnavis said in the statement.