PUNE: NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule on Saturday said that undermining Marathi in the forceful implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 in Maharashtra would not be tolerated.Sule’s statement comes amid the opposition’s outcry over the Maharashtra government’s decision to make Hindi a mandatory third language for students of Classes 1 to 5 in Marathi and English-medium schools across the state, in a departure from the practice of studying two languages.Speaking to reporters in Pune, the Baramati MP said, “I was the first to oppose the education minister’s statement about making the CBSE board compulsory in Maharashtra. What is the need to replace the existing state board with CBSE? Before discussing the language issue, we must talk about the basic education infrastructure in the state.” Citing the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) released by the NGO Pratham Foundation, referred to by the Centre, she stressed the need to evaluate students’ performance in mathematics, science and languages.She said the government should not rush into implementing the NEP, as it would adversely affect students, and teachers were not prepared for the change.”If the implementation of the NEP in Maharashtra causes any loss to the Marathi language, it will not be tolerated. Marathi will be the priority,” Sule asserted.She said if other languages are being introduced, parents must have the option to choose.
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