Maharashtra okays New Education Policy 2020, Hindi made mandatory third language for classes 1 to 5
Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has announced a detailed plan to implement the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, making Hindi compulsory as a third language for students in Classes 1 to 5 in Marathi and English-medium schools across the state, replacing the current two-language system.
The three-language formula under NEP 2020 will be rolled out in phases, beginning with Class 1 in the 2025–26 academic year, and will be expanded to cover all grades by 2028–29.
To support this transition, the state government is reportedly planning to train 80 percent of teachers in novel pedagogical methods and digital tools by 2025.
As per the new policy, Maharashtra will transition to the 5+3+3+4 education structure, replacing the traditional 10+2+3 format. The updated model segments the learning journey into four stages: foundational, preparatory, middle, and secondary. Curriculum development under this framework will be spearheaded by the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) and Balbharati.
“This new policy restructures the previous 10+2+3 system into a 5+3+3+4 format, covering education from foundational to higher levels. The policy is being gradually implemented in the state. It is built on five pillars: Access, Equity, Quality, Affordability, and Accountability, and aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be achieved by 2030,” Deputy Secretary of the state education department Tushar Mahajan said in a notice.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Heavy rain, hailstorms likely to lash Uttarakhand on Tuesday; IMD issues warning
Dehradun/Pithoragarh (PTI): The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning for heavy rain and hailstorms across several districts of Uttarakhand on Tuesday, as temperatures remained markedly below normal in the region.
Heavy rainfall is likely at isolated places in Dehradun, Haridwar, Tehri, Pauri, Nainital, Champawat, and Udham Singh Nagar districts. Most places across all districts are expected to receive light to moderate rain or thunderstorms, while higher reaches are likely to witness snowfall, officials said on Monday.
The weather department warned of thunderstorms accompanied by lightning, hail and intense spells of rain in six districts, including Dehradun and Nainital. Gusty winds with speeds reaching 40-50 kmph are also expected at isolated locations in these areas and other hilly districts.
In the state capital, Dehradun, the sky is forecast to remain partly cloudy with light rain and thunderstorms accompanied by gusty winds of 30-40 kmph.
The maximum and minimum temperatures in the city are expected to hover around 31 degrees Celsius and 19 degrees Celsius, respectively.
Maximum temperatures during the past 24 hours remained markedly below normal in the hills and appreciably below normal in the plains. While no significant change in temperature is expected over the next 2-3 days, the IMD predicts a rise of 3-5 degrees Celsius during the subsequent 3-4 days.
Rainfall was recorded in several areas after 8.30 am today, with Ramnagar receiving 31.5 mm and Nainital recording 26.5 mm. Other areas, including Pithoragarh, Khatima and Champawat, also reported moderate precipitation.
Authorities have stopped a batch of 36 Adi Kailash pilgrims at the Dharchula base camp and placed the high-altitude yatra route on high alert following heavy rains and hailstorms in the district on Monday.
Dharchula SDM Ashish Joshi said the pilgrimage was halted due to adverse weather conditions. The issuance of new inner-line passes has been suspended until the weather normalises.
With 1,700 passes issued so far, pilgrims already at higher camps are being monitored for safety, the official added.
