Maharashtra: Advisory committee wants Narendra Jadhav panel on 3-language policy scrapped

Mumbai, Sep 24 (PTI) Maharashtra’s Language Advisory Committee wants the government to reconsider its decision to appoint the Narendra Jadhav panel to finalise the implementation of the three-language policy for schools in the state.

The advisory committee met in Nagpur on Tuesday and unanimously decided to seek the scrapping of the Jadhav panel, said writer Laxmikant Deshmukh, who heads the state language body.

The 29-member advisory committee comprises academicians and writers. It makes recommendations to the government on matters related to the Marathi language.

Deshmukh said Jadhav is an economist and enjoys tremendous respect, but he is neither a language expert nor a child psychologist.

“Jadhav’s comment that his panel will seek online views of stakeholders about when the three-language policy should be implemented is not feasible,” he said.

The state had issued a Government Resolution (GR) on April 16, making Hindi a compulsory third language for students in classes 1 to 5 in English and Marathi medium schools.

After the move triggered a huge backlash, the government issued an amended GR on June 17, making Hindi an optional language, and subsequently formed the Jadhav Panel to finalise the implementation of the three-language policy in the state, in line with the National Education Policy.

“The language policy should have been referred to us, as we are a government-appointed committee. If the Government Resolution (GR) regarding making Hindi mandatory was scrapped, what was the need for the Narendra Jadhav panel in the first place,” Deshmukh asked.

He said the advisory committee has unanimously resolved that the Narendra Jadhav panel should be scrapped. In June, the committee had passed a resolution demanding that no third language, including Hindi, be taught before Class 5.

“In Maharashtra, the focus should be on providing quality education in Marathi. English was introduced in Marathi schools to stop dropouts and prevent the closure of Marathi medium schools. Anyway, students learn Hindi from 5th grade,” he said.

Deshmukh said burdening six-year-old children with three languages will shift their attention from learning science, social science and other subjects. PTI MR NR