Maharashtra: Marathi Compulsory in All Schools From 2025
Maharashtra government has made Marathi a compulsory subject in all schools starting from the 2025-26 academic year.
The Maharashtra state government has announced that Marathi will be a compulsory subject in all schools starting from the academic year 2025-26. This rule applies to all schools, no matter what board or management they are under. The government issued this decision through a Government Resolution (GR) on 13th September 2024.
In 2020, the Maharashtra Education Department had first decided that Marathi must be taught in both private and government schools for at least four years. This was done under the Maharashtra Compulsory Teaching and Learning of Marathi Language in School Act to ensure that the Marathi language is given importance in all schools across the state. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some students from grades 8 to 10 were given concessions, allowing schools to evaluate Marathi as a graded subject instead of using marks.
Now, the state government has reminded schools to follow the original guidelines from 2020. This means that, starting from the 2025-26 school year, students will be required to take exams in Marathi, and their performance will be graded based on marks, not grades. All schools, regardless of the language they teach in or the board they follow, must make Marathi a core subject.
Along with the GR, the government has also introduced the State Curriculum Framework for School Education (SCF-SE). According to this new curriculum, English will no longer be a compulsory subject for students in classes 11 and 12. Instead, students can choose it as an optional subject from a list of 17 Indian languages, and Marathi will be made mandatory in its place.
The Education Department has also warned schools that strict actions will be taken if they do not follow the new rules and fail to teach Marathi.
This move aims to further promote the Marathi language and ensure its importance in the state’s education system.
