MPSC Exams to Be Held in Marathi: Maharashtra Govt’s Major Language Policy Shift
MPSC Exams to Be Held in Marathi: Maharashtra Govt’s Major Language Policy Shift
The state of Maharashtra is taking a significant step towards promoting its regional language, Marathi, in public service. In a recent announcement, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis declared that all exams conducted by the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) will now be held in Marathi. This decision came after Shiv Sena (UBT) legislator Milind Narvekar raised concerns about the lack of Marathi as an option for certain exams, particularly in fields like agriculture and engineering.
Narvekar pointed out that these exams were currently conducted solely in English, potentially excluding candidates who are more comfortable with Marathi. By making Marathi the primary language for all MPSC exams, the state government aims to ensure equal opportunities for all candidates and promote the use of Marathi in official settings.
CM Fadnavis clarified that while most exams are offered in both Marathi and English, certain agricultural engineering exams are currently conducted only in English due to court rulings. This was primarily attributed to the lack of Marathi textbooks for these specific subjects. However, the government is actively working to address this issue by developing Marathi textbooks for technical fields, ensuring that students have access to learning materials in their preferred language. The government is also emphasizing the implementation of the New Education Policy (NEP 2020), which includes provisions for conducting engineering courses in Marathi, further solidifying the commitment to promoting the language in higher education.
The MPSC exams were previously only offered in English because of a lack of Marathi study materials. To address this issue, the government is actively working on producing supporting textbooks in Marathi. Once these textbooks are complete, a timeline will be established with the MPSC to introduce Marathi-language exams. This initiative aims to help Marathi-speaking students who face language barriers when taking the MPSC exams.
This announcement comes amidst a language dispute between the Education Ministry and the Tamil Nadu government. While Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has accused the Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan of “imposing Hindi,” Pradhan has clarified that the central government is not imposing any language on anyone and is not taking away anyone’s rights.
During a question-and-answer session in the Rajya Sabha regarding the Ministry of Education’s operations, Dharmendra Pradhan emphasized that India is a multilingual country and the Modi government would not “hurt anyone’s feelings based on language.” He specifically addressed concerns about the Tamil language, stating that it is “no one’s monopoly” and expressed that there was no need for anyone to question the central government’s commitment to Tamil.
