Mumbai- The Maharashtra government has taken a policy decision to implement the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 with Hindi as a compulsory third language from the academic year 2025-26. As per a detailed government notification, Hindi will be a compulsory third language for students in Classes 1 to 5 studying in Marathi and English medium schools.

The new curriculum under NEP 2020 will follow a phased timeline, starting with Class 1 in 2025-26 academic year and expanding to all grades by 2028-29. According to the notification, other medium schools in Maharashtra are already following the three-language formula since English and Marathi are compulsory in the state; and they also teach the language which is their medium of instruction. However, in English and Marathi medium schools, only two languages were taught.

In the case of Curriculum and Structure, the state government of Maharashtra will adopt the 5+3+3+4 model, with localised curriculum development by SCERT (State Council of Educational Research and Training) and Balbharati the state textbook bureau. The SCERT has also prepared a bridge course for classes where students will be transitioning directly from the old to new curriculum. The government aims to train 80 per cent of teachers in new pedagogical methods and digital tools by 2025. “The 5+3+3+4 educational structure, introduced by the NEP 2020 under the new curriculum, divides school education into four stages: Foundational stage, preparatory stage, middle stage, and a secondary stage.

“This new policy restructures the previous 10+2+3 system into a 5+3+3+4 format, covering education from foundational to higher levels. The policy is being gradually implemented in the state. It is built on five pillars: Access, Equity, Quality, Affordability, and Accountability, and aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be achieved by 2030,” Deputy Secretary of the state education department, Tushar Mahajan said in a notification.

According the notification, the government will launch the commencement of the 5+3+3+4 structure of school education, as recommended under NEP 2020 wherein first five years (3 years of pre-primary and classes 1 and 2) will be foundational stage, classes 3 to 5 will be Preparatory stage, Classes 6 to 8 will be covered under Middle school and final four years (Classes 9 to 12) will be Secondary Education. The three language formula, too, will be implemented as per the prescribed phases, starting with Class 1 from the upcoming academic year. Further, the textbooks of Maharashtra State Board will now be based on curriculum developed by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) along with modifications as per Maharashtra’s local context, especially in subjects like Social Science and languages. Accordingly, Class 1 textbooks are being published by Balbharati.