Parliament Question: Revocation of Three Language Policy

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4 ANSWERED ON 21.07.2025 Revocation of Three Language Policy

4. Shri Matheswaran V S:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is a fact that State Government of Maharashtra has revoked the Government Resolutions (GRs) on the three language policy, introducing Hindi as the third language in primary schools, if so, the details thereof; and

(b) the details of options of third language in all the States in the country? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY)

(a) & (b) The State Government of Maharashtra has informed that it has revoked its Government Resolution (G.R.) dated 16.04.2025 and its corrigendum dated 17.06.2025 pertaining to the implementation of the Three Language Policy from Class 1 onwards in State Board schools, by G.R. dated 30th June, 2025.

The National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, inter-alia, at para 4.13, provides that the “three-language formula will continue to be implemented while keeping in mind the Constitutional provisions, aspirations of the people, regions, and the Union, and the need to promote multilingualism as well as promote national unity. However, there will be a greater flexibility in the three-language formula, and no language will be imposed on any State. The three languages learned by children will be the choices of States, regions, and of course the students themselves, so long as at least two of the three languages are native to India. In particular, students who wish to change one or more of the three languages they are studyingmay do so in Grade 6 or 7, as long as they are able to demonstrate basic proficiency in three languages (including one language of India at the literature level) by the end of secondary school.” The National Curriculum Framework for School Education 2023 aims to enable all our students to learn at least three languages, so that students achieve independent reading and writing proficiency in three languages by the end of high school. At least two of these three Languages — R1, R2, and R3 — must be native to India.

R1 is the first language in which students learn literacy, ideally their mother tongue or, if not feasible, the state language, with proficiency expected by age 8, R2 is the second language distinct from R1, with proficiency to be achieved by age 11 and R3 is the third language different from R1 and R2, with proficiency targeted by age 14.

Further, Education being a subject in the Concurrent list of the Constitution, it is up to the respective States/Union Territories Governments to decide the implementation of the Three Language Policy in the spirit of NEP 2020.

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