Maharashtra School Education Minister Dada Bhuse announced on Tuesday that Hindi will not be taught compulsorily, but merely be an optional subject as per the three-language formula, according to the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

Addressing media persons at the Mantralaya in Mumbai, Dada Bhuse said, “The Union Government has not made Hindi or any language compulsory under the NEP. Learning Hindi is not compulsory, but optional.”

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“From Class 5, the Hindi language is already part of the curriculum. Hence, Hindi was introduced from class 1, since it would be easy and convenient for students. Marathi and English are compulsory. So, if any students are asking for or opting for a third language other than Hindi, we will see how many students are requesting it and whether there is availability of teachers to teach the same,” Dada Bhuse said.

“Confusion began due to the mention of Hindi language as ‘mandatory’ in the government resolution in this regard. Therefore, we are removing the word ‘mandatory’ from it,” Maharashtra School Education Minister Dada Bhuse said.

In a related development, Maharashtra Industries Minister Uday Samant also stated on Tuesday that there would be no compulsion on school students to learn Hindi. “Students can choose any third language”.

Samant alleged that some people are creating misunderstandings about Hindi language being imposed on school students in Maharashtra. He said that there are teachers for Hindi in every school. However, there is no compulsion that Hindi should be the only subject.

“Students can choose any third language. If there are 20 students who demand it, a teacher will also be provided to them. If there are fewer children than that, our stance is that they will be educated online. Some groups are creating misunderstandings about this,” Samant said.