Bill making Marathi language mandatory in Maharashtra schools passed unanimously

The Marathi language is set to become compulsory in schools across all boards in Maharashtra, as the bill was unanimously passed in the Legislative Council on Wednesday. Marathi will thus become a mandatory subject in all Central board schools, including the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), International Baccalaureate (IB), and Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) too.

The bill makes it compulsory for all Maharashtra schools to have Marathi subject in its curriculum for students from Class 1 to 10. Anyone defying this law will have to pay a fine of ₹1 lakh.

READ | Maharashtra Govt To Make 'Marathi' Subject Compulsory In All Schools From Class 1 To 10

'Decision was taken through mutual understanding': School Education Minister

The bill stated that many schools tend to keep Marathi as an optional subject, while some minority schools do not teach Marathi at all. Hence this bill was tabled to correct the oddity.

School Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad told the Lower House that the decision was taken through a mutual understanding after holding deliberations with all the educational boards including IB, ICSE, and CBSE.

READ | After Marathi & Preamble, Uddhav To Make National Anthem Mandatory Before College Events

"A bill that mandates the subject of Marathi language in all schools in Maharashtra has been unanimously approved in the Legislative Council.

Now all the schools in the state will be given classes in 1st to 10th grade Marathi lessons!," Maharashtra Cabinet Minister and Shiv Sena leader Subhash Desai said in a tweet roughly translated from Marathi. 

The Marathi language as a subject will be introduced in Class 1 and 6 from the coming academic year (2020-21) in a phased manner. Students currently studying in Class 2 to10 will not be affected.

READ | Nawab Malik Lauds Maha-alliance, Says 'they Have Taken A Stand To Make Marathi Compulsory'

'Fortunate to table the bill'

During his speech in the Council, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray called himself fortunate to table such a bill during his tenure.

“It was imperative for my generation to preserve this language for the future generation. Marathi has a glorious history, tradition, and culture and the time has come to embrace it,” said Uddhav Thackeray.

“My sons went to English-medium schools, but speak excellent Marathi,” the Shiv Sena chief added. 

The bill is similar to the enactments in the southern states including Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka, which have made regional languages compulsory in schools.

READ | Maharashtra Assembly To Introduce Bill To Make Marathi Compulsory In Schools On Feb 27