The Narendra Jadhav Committee, constituted by the state government to review and suggest reforms to Maharashtra’s three-language policy, has noted increasing public dissatisfaction following consultations in Ratnagiri, Kolhapur, and Nagpur. Several participants expressed support for the inclusion of three languages but recommended that the policy be implemented from Class 5 rather than Class 1.
Committee chairman Prof Narendra Jadhav said the response from the public and stakeholders had been “tremendous”, with citizens showing keen interest in shaping the policy. “People are generally supportive of introducing three languages but prefer it to start from Class 5 rather than Class 1,” he said. “Even after Class 5, many have suggested that Hindi should not be imposed and that students should be given the freedom to choose other languages.”
The committee is currently collecting online feedback from various stakeholders, including parents, teachers and education experts. Jadhav said that five more meetings remained to be held across different regions of Maharashtra. “Once all public meetings are completed and online responses are analysed, we will finalise our report. We are working to meet the December 5 deadline given by the government,” he added.
Jadhav also said that citizens had appreciated the committee’s efforts to seek public opinion before implementing major education reforms. “People are admiring this initiative and expect the government to conduct such consultations regularly before framing any new policy,” he said.
The Jadhav Committee was constituted earlier this year to draft a comprehensive language policy in alignment with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. On October 8, the committee issued a public questionnaire seeking feedback from citizens, educational institutions, and other stakeholders. The responses will guide the committee in formulating its final recommendations to the state government.
The state government’s decision on April 16 to make Marathi, English, and Hindi compulsory from Classes 1 to 5 had drawn criticism from several organisations and political parties. The move even prompted a rare show of unity between the Thackeray cousins, who came together after nearly two decades to oppose the policy.
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