No Politics, Only Education: SCERT Director on Hindi Being Made Compulsory from Class 1 in Maharashtra

Pune, 17th April 2025: The Maharashtra government’s decision to make Hindi a compulsory subject from Classes 1 to 5 across all schools in the state has sparked political debate, with Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray voicing his opposition on social media.

However, State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) Director Rahul Rekhawar defended the move, asserting that the policy is entirely in the academic interest of students and has no political motive.

Speaking at a press conference in Pune, Rekhawar clarified that the revised State School Education Plan, to be implemented from the 2025-26 academic session, aims to equip students with better language skills in early grades. “There is no question of undermining the Marathi language. This decision is based purely on educational grounds,” he said.

Rekhawar emphasized that the new policy aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP), which encourages multilingual learning from early grades. “Hindi is already taught from Class 5 onwards. Now, students will be introduced to three languages from Class 1 itself—this is not new for Maharashtra. In other states, children are already learning three or even four languages,” he noted.

He added that both Marathi and Hindi share the Devanagari script, which will ease the learning process for students. “Language acquisition is most effective at a young age. This is a pedagogically sound decision,” Rekhawar said.

The SCERT director also clarified that no additional teachers will be appointed specifically for Hindi; the current teaching staff will incorporate Hindi into their lessons. “The aim is to integrate Hindi gradually and systematically without disrupting the existing structure,” he added.

Responding to criticism from the MNS, Rekhawar said, “All of Maharashtra respects Raj Thackeray. His contribution to preserving Marathi identity is commendable. However, I appeal to him to reconsider his opposition. This is a student-centric decision without any hidden political agenda or intention to promote ‘Hindiization’.”

Rekhawar concluded by reiterating that Maharashtra has historically led the way in educational reforms and this move is in line with that legacy.