Hindi mandatory in schools: MNS's student wing stages protest against govt in Navi Mumbai

The MNS activists (above) raised slogans against the state administration, accusing it of attempting to impose a language in a region with a rich linguistic heritage. Pic/X/@MNVS_Adhikrut

Activists of the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena's (MNS) student wing on Friday staged a protest in Navi Mumbai city of Maharashtra against the state government's decision to make Hindi mandatory for school students, reported the PTI.

Earlier, on Thursday, Raj Thackeray had raised strong objections to the decision to make Hindi a compulsory subject for students from Class 1 in schools across Maharashtra.

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The MNS chief had reiterated that Hindi is not the national language and every state has its own mother tongue, and Hindi is just one of them.

"Use of Marathi, Hindi and English (three languages) should be limited to government and official work. Hindi cannot be made mandatory and one cannot and should not force students to learn it. MNS strongly opposes any such policy and will not tolerate the same," Raj Thackeray warned through a post on social media platform X.

The state government approved the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, introducing Hindi as a mandatory third language for students from Class 1 to Class 5 in Marathi and English-medium schools.

According to the PTI, hundreds of protestors waved banners and placards and burnt copies of the government resolution at the site in Vashi area of Navi Mumbai.

They raised slogans against the state administration, accusing it of attempting to impose a language in a region with a rich linguistic heritage.

The state school education department has declared a phase-wise implementation plan of the new curriculum framework designed as per the NEP 2020 recommendations for school education.

Speaking to the reporters, activists of the Maharashtra Navnirman Vidyarthi Sena (MNVS) claimed the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 does not contain any provision mandating Hindi as a compulsory subject.

"This is an unwarranted imposition. Nowhere in the NEP 2020 is there a mention of Hindi being made compulsory," one of the student leaders said, drawing parallels with Tamil Nadu's firm resistance to the imposition of Hindi and urging political parties across Maharashtra to unite in protest, as per the PTI.

Meanwhile, Professor Narendra Phatak, executive president of Sahitya Bharati and a member of the Akhil Bharatiya Sahitya Parishad, said the state government's move was unjust and burdensome for students.

He said the government's stand misrepresents the NEP 2020 and undermines the principles of the National Curriculum Framework (NCF).

Phatak said, "This is a unilateral decision that will only fuel resistance against Hindi, which was never an issue in Maharashtra. Unfortunately, such policies allow specific groups to politicise the matter and initiate agitations," the news agency reported on Friday.

(with PTI inputs)