All Maha school staff must know ‘basic Marathi’: Min | Mumbai News

Mumbai: All Maharashtra school staffers need to have knowledge of “basic working Marathi”, said school education minister Dadaji Bhuse on Tuesday as he affirmed his commitment to ensuring the language is taught in every school across the state, regardless of board affiliation or medium of instruction.
He emphasised the importance of preserving the state’s linguistic heritage through strict implementation of the Sept 2024 directive, which mandated that Marathi be made a core subject at all schools from the 2025-26 academic year, marking the end of pandemic-era concessions. This shift will replace the previous graded assessments with marks-based evaluation across all boards, including CBSE, ICSE and IB. This change underscores govt’s commitment to elevating Marathi’s status in the academic curriculum and ensuring that students engage more rigorously with the language.
“…Marathi has earned the prestigious tag of being a classical language. It is now important that all schools in the state teach this language. Also, the staff needs to know basic working Marathi and faculty who know the language must be appointed to teach it,” he told reporters. A language proficiency test may be held for staff members.
In 2020, Maharashtra Compulsory Teaching and Learning of Marathi Language in Schools Act mandated that Marathi be made a compulsory subject in all schools across the state, regardless of their board affiliation. However, owing to the pandemic, the implementation faced challenges, leading to temporary concessions. For instance, in April 2023, as a one-time measure, the state allowed non-state board schools to assess Marathi as a graded subject for Classes 8, 9 and 10, instead of assigning numerical marks.
“The relaxation announced in April 2023 was applicable to only one batch, which will now advance to Class 11. As this batch completes Class 10, the relaxation will end, and from the academic year 2025-26, Marathi language will once again be evaluated with marks,” the GR stated. This measure was intended to ease the transition for students unfamiliar with the language.
Educationists have noted that while the initial grading system provided relief to students during the pandemic, the reintroduction of a marks-based assessment will place Marathi on a par with other core subjects. This move is expected to encourage students to develop a deeper proficiency in Marathi, fostering greater appreciation for the state’s linguistic heritage.
Schools have been advised to prepare for this transition by updating their curricula and ensuring that adequate resources and trained faculty are in place to effectively teach Marathi as a core subject. Govt has indicated that it will monitor the implementation closely to address any challenges that may arise during this transition.