The Maharashtra government has sent out a strict alert to schools of all boards - national and international - that not imparting Marathi teaching from Class 1 to 10 could lead to withdrawal of their recognition.
Assembly minister Dada Bhuse, during Question Hour in the assembly, highlighted once again that teaching of Marathi is compulsory as per the Act which was notified on 9th March 2020. This applies to all schools without any differentiation on the basis of whether their syllabus is from the state board or not.
Mandatory Language Policy Under Scrutiny
The order has been issued following a worry of some MLAs that many white international schools have stopped Marathi or at least making it only an optional language. Bhuse explained that even if schools consider Marathi as the second or third language, the actual Marathi teaching should not be compromised.
Inspections and Enforcement Mechanism
Complaints-based inspections are the government's way of monitoring compliance. The schools that fail to meet the requirement will get the first warning and some time to fix their mistake.
But, if the defiance is prolonged, then tougher measures could be taken.
“Recognition of such institutions may be cancelled if they fail to adhere even after being given an opportunity,” Bhuse warned.
Call for Legislative Oversight
By urging the legislators to report violations actively, the minister has shown intent to not only monitor but also that the legislators be the feet on the ground collecting information on violations. He noted that this would make possible a quick investigation, assured that the policy enforcement would be on time and at the end of the day the state-wide implementation of the policy uniformity be guaranteed.
Language, Identity, and Regulation
The move to protect linguistic identity through education policy could be understood as part of the state's wider agenda. On the flip side, it makes one wonder about how demands for regional language in such cases might be impacting the extent of freedom the international curriculum schools have in India.
