Nagpur: The bill to make Marathi a compulsory topic in all schools is all set to become law on Thursday as it will be tabled in the lower house of the state legislature where the government has enough numbers to pass it.
The bill cleared the upper house without any hitch on Wednesday, making it clear no party would oppose it. Once the bill is passed, Marathi will be compulsory at all schools operating in the state from Std I to X. However, in Nagpur, CBSE, ICSE, and international board schools are unhappy with the’ compulsory’ tag citing ground realities.
Not wanting to speak openly considering the political sensitivity, a trustee of a school said, “What happens if a student comes from Kerala in Std IX or X because of a parent’s transfer? Do we expect the child to cope at that level with Marathi although the language is alien to it?. “Another CBSE school principal said” I have Marathi in my school till Std VIII and now I have to plan properly how to proceed with the higher classes. I am sure that CBSE will inform us well in advance of the curriculum.
“State Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad told the state legislature that the new policy would be implemented in a phased manner. Her short statement suggested that it would only be the primary section in the first phase in which Marathi will be implemented as a mandatory subject. And going by the same statement, it seemed that it might take a few years for the policy to be implemented in its entirety, until Std X.
A senior principal of the CBSE school said this seemed more like a game of one-upmanship. “It is almost like the government of the state wants to show who’s the boss. I’m sure they know it’s going to be chaotic for those who get transferred, too, “the principal said.
Another school trustee said this could even lead to people avoiding state admissions.
“If an officer in the army moves from Jaipur to Nagpur when his son is in Std IX, he’d rather keep his family back there for a few years,” she said.
The ball is now in the court of CBSE, for all schools. “If this is compulsory in Std X then immediately CBSE comes into play. They have to intimate us with all the details because with an additional mandatory subject it will affect the grade sheet, “a principal said.
