Maharashtra's New Syllabus Plan Makes English Optional for Class 11-12, Raising Questions About Future Language Requirements

Mumbai: In Maharashtra, the state's new syllabus plan has made studying the English language for 11th and 12th standards non-mandatory. Previously, English language was compulsory from 1st to 12th standard. However, there is still confusion about whether English will become optional until the 10th standard as well.

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Keeping up with the National Education Policy, the Maharashtra government has released a syllabus plan and has invited objections from 23 May to 3rd of June. The NEP emphasized education in the mother tongue and Indian languages. Foreign languages have also been kept as optional in the plan. The plan has made the study of the mother tongue or regional language compulsory from 3rd to 12th standard. Students in these academic years must also take another language for their studies. Currently, it is mandatory to take English from 1st standard and study one's mother tongue. However, in the current plan, it has not been made compulsory that second language has to be English. It says a second language can be any part of the first language (mother tongue/regional). 

The syllabus follows a 3-language formula from 6th to 10th standard. The current plans have a mother tongue, English, and a third optional language. However the new plan states, first language and mother tongue, second language as any Indian language, and third one as any foreign language. This means that English will be counted as a foreign language and its study can be optional for students. English can be chosen as an optional language. However, the plan does not mention if English will be compulsory in the overall syllabus. 

Students in 11 and 12th standard have to study two languages mandatorily. One of them has to be an Indian one while the other can be a foreign language. The compulsion to study English in these grades has been removed from the plan. This move has raised the question if the government intends to slowly pivot away from English which is the de-facto global language of communication and focus on regional languages.