Mumbai, Apr 22 (PTI) The Maharashtra government has stayed its order to make Hindi mandatory as a third language for students of Classes 1 to 5 in Marathi and English-medium schools in the wake of opposition to the move from various quarters.

State School Education Minister Dada Bhuse on Tuesday made the announcement about the stay on the government resolution (GR).

“We are staying the word mandatory (as mentioned in the GR).We will issue a revised GR,” he told reporters.

Learning Hindi as the third language will be voluntary, Bhuse said.

The government decision taken last week to make Hindi compulsory as a third language for students of Classes 1 to 5 in Marathi and English-medium schools in the state had met with stiff resistance from different quarters, including some opposition parties.

The move comes days after the Maharashtra government’s language consultation committee urged Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to revoke the decision.

Minister Bhuse also asserted that learning of Marathi language will be made compulsory in the state and the education department will see to it that it is implemented effectively.

He stressed that the Centre did not pressurise the state to “impose” Hindi.

On earlier GR which had made Hindi mandatory, Bhuse said both Hindi and Marathi had Devnagri script and that would have made the students easier to learn the language.

When asked why a third language was introduced from Class 1, Rahul Rekhawar, Director of the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), said efforts will be taken to ensure children do not feel any pressure of learning a third language.

He said a third language is only for speaking and listening purposes.

The three-language formula for classes 1 to 5 is a part of the new curriculum implementation under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. PTI PR NSK RSY NP