Teach Marathi or Lose Recognition: Maharashtra Government Warns Schools
Pune, 18th April 2026: The Government of Maharashtra has stepped up enforcement of its Marathi language policy, warning schools that failure to teach Marathi from Classes 1 to 10 could lead to cancellation of recognition.
The move follows provisions under the Maharashtra Compulsory Marathi Language Act, which mandates Marathi as a compulsory subject across all education boards and mediums. Officials have found that several schools, particularly English-medium and private institutions, are not fully complying with the requirement.
To address the issue, the School Education Department has introduced a structured enforcement mechanism, empowering the Education Commissioner to revoke a school’s recognition or No Objection Certificate (NOC) in cases of non-compliance.
Under the new framework, inspection teams comprising education officers and Marathi subject experts will conduct surprise checks within the first two months of the academic year. These inspections will assess both academic records and actual classroom teaching.
If Marathi is not being taught, the school will be issued a 15-day show-cause notice. An unsatisfactory response will attract a fine of Rs 1 lakh. Continued non-compliance even after the penalty could lead to cancellation of recognition following a final hearing.
The government has also made it mandatory for schools to appoint qualified Marathi teachers. Authorities clarified that only teachers with proper academic qualifications in Marathi will be considered valid, and symbolic or on-paper appointments will not be accepted.
