Marathi mandatory in Maharashtra schools; violators may face cancellation of recognition: Minister

Maharashtra School Education Minister Dada Bhuse on Monday said that teaching Marathi and conducting examinations in the language are now legally mandatory in schools of all mediums across the state Schools that fail to comply with the provisions could face financial penalties and in cases of continued violations cancellation of recognitionReplying to a debate during Question Hour in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Bhuse said Marathi has been made compulsory from Classes 1 to 10 under the Maharashtra Compulsory Teaching and Learning of Marathi Language in Schools Act 2020Schools required to appoint Marathi teachersThe minister said all schools irrespective of their medium of instruction or education board are required to appoint qualified Marathi teachers Compliance with the law will be monitored through regular inspectionsIf a school does not implement the provisions it will first be asked to rectify the violation If it still fails to teach Marathi a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh can be imposed If there is continued noncompliance the schools recognition can also be cancelled under the government decision issued on April 17 2026 Bhuse saidClarifying the implementation of the policy the minister said Marathi would not remain only a compulsory subject on paperMarathi examinations will definitely be conducted for every class he saidMembers seek clarity on implementationDuring the discussion BJP MLA Atul Bhatkalkar sought clarification on whether Marathi would be treated like optional subjects such as art and handicrafts or whether students would have to appear for examinations He also asked whether Marathi examinations would be conducted from Classes 1 to 10Legislators also urged the government to consider reviving an internationalstandard Marathi education board saying that a similar board established by a previous state government had later been dissolvedResponding to the demand Bhuse said the government would examine the proposal and take an appropriate decision after due considerationStricter enforcement through 2026 government resolutionThe minister said the phased implementation envisaged under the 2020 Government Resolution has now been completed making Marathi teaching compulsory in all schools across MaharashtraHe further said that complaints regarding noncompliance would be investigatedIf any complaint is received that a school is not teaching Marathi an inquiry will be conducted If the violation is established the school will first be issued a notice imposing a penalty of Rs 1 lakh If it still fails to comply the governments new 2026 GR empowers us to cancel the schools recognition he saidAccording to Bhuse the provision to withdraw recognition has been introduced for the first time through the 2026 Government Resolution strengthening enforcement of the states Marathi language policyOpposition questions delay in stricter actionOpposition legislators including Varun Sardesai of Shiv Sena UBT and Congress MLA Nitin Raut questioned the effectiveness of the policy They sought details on the number of schools found violating the rules the number fined or derecognised and why stricter enforcement measures were introduced nearly five years after the law came into forceSardesai also sought the names of schools against which action had been taken and asked whether institutions that received government land at concessional rates but failed to teach Marathi would face additional actionSome legislators including Sunil Prabhu of Shiv Sena UBT demanded that the existing penalty be increased from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 10 lakhTextbook revisions also discussedAppealing for support from legislators Bhuse urged MLAs to visit schools in their constituencies and ensure that Marathi is being taught in every institution irrespective of the medium of instruction He also warned that officials who fail to enforce the law could face actionThe minister said schools are expected to sing the state song Jai Jai Maharashtra Majha with due respect similar to the National Anthem and that the government would continue awareness initiativesThe Assembly discussion also covered school textbooks with members alleging historical inaccuracies and omissions relating to Savitribai Phule Mahatma Phule and chapters on different religionsResponding to the concerns Bhuse said the state government had requested the Centre to expand the coverage of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in CBSE textbooks He said Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had accepted the request and that the content on Shivaji Maharaj had now been expanded to 22 pages The minister added that the state was also revising its own textbooks and would restore lessons on eminent personalities omitted from earlier editionsWith inputs from PTI