LexThe Maharashtra Compulsory Teaching and Learning of Marathi Language in Schools Act, 2020
Maharashtra · state statute
Open in Lexace · Ask the AI about this act2020 : Mah. III] 1
THE MAHARASHTRA COMPULSORY TEACHING AND
LEARNING OF MARATHI LANGUAGE IN SCHOOLS ACT, 2020
[Text as on 16th May 2023]
________________
CONTENTS
PREAMBLE.
SECTIONS.
1. Short title, application and commencement.
2. Definitions.
3. Marathi as a compulsory subject.
4. Condition for granting No Objection Certificate.
5. Curriculum by State Government.
6. Competent Authority.
7. Appellate Authority.
8. Appeal.
9. Power of Government to give directions.
10. Bar of jurisdiction.
11. Exemptions.
12. Penalty for violation of provisions of Act.
13. Power to amend Schedule.
14. Overriding effect.
15. Protection of acts done in good faith.
16. Power to make rules.
17. Power to remove difficulties.
SCHEDULE
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Learning of Marathi Language in Schools Act, 2020
MAHARASHTRA ACT No. III OF 20201
[THE MAHARASHTRA COMPULSORY TEACHING AND LEARNING OF MARATHI
LANGUAGE IN SCHOOLS ACT, 2020.]
[This Act received the assent of the Governor on the 8th March 2020; assent first published in the
Maharashtra Government Gazette, Part VIII , on the 9th March 2020.]
An Act to provide for teaching and learning Marathi language as
compulsory in all schools in the State of Maharashtra and for
matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
WHEREAS it is expedient to provide for teaching and learning Marathi language as compulsory
in all schools in the State of Maharashtra and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto; it is
hereby enacted in the Seventy-first Year of the Republic of India as follows:—
1. Short title, application and commencement. — (1) This Act may be called the Maharashtra
Compulsory Teaching and Learning of Marathi Language in Schools Act, 2020.
(2) It shall apply to every school situated in the State and in respect of every student enrolled i n
such school.
(3) It shall come into force on such date 2 as the State Government may, by notification in the
Official Gazette, appoint.
2. Definitions.— In this Act, unless the context requires otherwise,—
(a) ―Appellate Authority‖ means the Appellate Authority appointed by the Government
under section 7;
(b)‖Competent Authority‖ means the Competent Authority appointed by the Government
under sub-section (1) of section 6;
(c) ―Government‖ means the State Government of Maharashtra;
(d) ―notification‖ means a notification published in the Maharashtra Government Gazette
and the word ‗notified‘ shall be construed accordingly;
(e) ―prescribed‖ means prescribed by rules made by the Government;
(f) ―Schedule‖ means a Schedule appended to this Act;
(g) ―school‖ means any primary, upper primary or secondary school,—
(i) maintained by the State Government or Local Bodies - aided or unaided or
permanently non-granted;
(ii) established, administered or maintained by any private educational institution
including minority school established and administered by minorities under clause ( 1) of
article 30 of the Constitution of India whether receiving aid from the State or not;
(iii) of any Anglo -Indian School or Oriental School or Schools affili ated to Central
Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Council for the Indian Schools Certificate
Examination (CISCE), International Baccalaureate (IB), Cambridge Board, International
General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE), National Institute of Open Schooling
(NIOS), Maharashtra International Education Board (MIEB) or any other Government or
private educational Board;
(iv) which may be notified by the Government in this behalf; or
1 For Statement of Objects and Reasons, see Maharashtra Government Gazette, Extraordinary, Part V-A, No. 7, dated 26th
February 2020, page 6.
2 This Act came into force on 1st April 2020, Vide G.N. MLD, MBV. 2019/C.R.42/ Bhasha – 2, dated 16th March 2020.
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Learning of Marathi Language in Schools Act, 2020
(v) approved by the Government under the Maharashtra Self -financed Schools
(Establishment and Regulation) Act, 2012 (Mah. I of 2013).
Explanation.—For the purposes of this clause,—
(i) primary school shall consist of Standards I to V;
(ii) upper primary or secondary school shall consist of Standards I to VIII or VI
to VIII;
(iii) secondary school shall consist of Standards I to X, VI to X or Standards IX
to X;
(h) ―section‖ means a section of this Act;
(i) ―State‖ means the State of Maharashtra.
3. Marathi as a compulsory subject. — (1) Marathi language shall be taught as a compulsory
subject from Standard I to X in all schools in the State commencing from the Academic Year 2020 -21
in a phased manner, as specified in the Schedule.
(2) The subject Marathi language shall be introduced at Standard I and Standard VI from the
Academic Year 2020 -21 and shall be extended for further classes progressively, as specified in the
Schedule.
(3) The assessment of student in the subject Marathi Language shall be conducted in all schools.
(4) No restriction shall be imposed on speaking Marathi in the schools in the State either directly
or indirectly.
(5) No board or notice shall be displayed or campaign conducted in schools imposing restrictions
on speaking Marathi language.
4. Condition for granting No Objection Certificate. — (1) Where school requires recognition
or No Objection Certificate or both, from the State Government, compulsory teaching and assessment
of students in Marathi language subject as per the provisions of this Act shall be a condition for
granting such recognition or Certificate.
(2) The recognition or No Objection Certificate of the school, which is already existing on the
date of commencement of this Act and which do not teach Marathi as a compulsory subject, shall be
cancelled and an intimation to that effect shall also be sent to the concerned Boards or Authorities to
whom such school is affiliated.
5. Curriculum by State Government.— Every school shall follow the curriculum specified by
the Government for the purposes of this Act.
6. Competent Authority.— (1) The Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette,
appoint officer of the School Education Department not below the rank of District Education Officer to
be the Competent Authority for the purposes of carrying out the provisions of this Act and the rules
made thereunder. The different Competent Authorities may be appointed for different areas.
(2) The Competent Authority shall exercise such powers and perform such functions, as may be
prescribed.
7. Appellate Authority.— The Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint
an officer of the School Education Department not below the rank of Deputy Director (Education) as
an Appellate Authority for the purposes of deciding appeals agains t any order or decision of the
Competent Authority.
8. Appeal.— (1) Any person aggrieved by an order or decision of the Competent Authority,
including penalty imposed under sub -section ( 1) of section 12, may file an appeal to the Appellate
Authority within a period of thirty days from the date of receipt of order or decision of the Competent
Authority:
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Provided that, the Appellate Authority may entertain any such appeal filed after expiry of the said
period of thirty days, if he is satisfied that the Appellant had sufficient cause for not preferring the
appeal within the said period.
(2) The Appellate Authority shall, before disposing off an appeal, give a reasonable opportunity
of being heard to the Appellant.
(3) The decision of the Appellate Authority on appeal shall be final.
9. Power of Government to give directions. — (1) ( a) The Government may, in the public
interest, by an order, direct the Competent Authority to make an enquiry or to take appropriate
proceedings under this Act in any case specified in the order, and the Competent Authority shall report
to the Government the result of the enquiry made or the proceedings taken by him within such period,
as may be prescribed.
(b) On receipt of the report from the Competent Authority under clause (a), the Government shall
give such directions as it may deem fit and such directions shall be final and binding.
(2) The Government may give such directions to such other authority as may appear to it to be
necessary for carrying out all or any of the provisions of this Act or of any rule, notification or order
made thereunder and such Authority shall comply with every such direction.
10. Bar of jurisdiction.— No order passed or proceedings taken under the provisions of this Act
shall be called in question in any Court, in any suit or application and no injunction shall be granted by
any Court in respect of any action taken in pursuance of any power conferred by or under this Act.
11. Exemptions.— (1) The Government may, by general or special order, published in the
Official Gazette, and subject to such conditions as it may deem fit to be specified in such order, exempt
any student or any class of students from all or any of the provisions of this Act, either in part or in
whole.
(2) The power under sub -section (1) may also be exercised by such officer of the Government,
not below the rank of Deputy Director, School Education, specially empowered by the Governme nt by
an order published in the Official Gazette.
12. Penalty for violation of provisions of Act. — (1) The Managing Director or any other
person responsible for management of the affairs of the school violating the provisions of this Act,
rules or orders made thereunder shall be liable for penalty upto one lakh rupees.
(2) The Competent Authority shall be competent to impose penalty under subsection (1) :
Provided that, the Competent Authority shall give a reasonable opportunity of being heard to the
person before passing any order under this sub-section.
(3) An officer not below the rank of Director of Education may recover such penalty in such
manner, as may be prescribed.
13. Power to amend Schedule. — (1) The Government may, if it is of the opinion that it is
expedient or necessary so to do, by notification published in the Official Gazette, add to or alter or
amend the Schedule and thereupon the Schedule shall stand amended accordingly.
(2) Any such notification issued under sub -section (1) shall be laid, as soon as may be, after it is
made, before each House of the State Legislature.
14. Overriding effect.— The provisions of this Act shall have eff ect notwithstanding anything
inconsistent therewith contained in any other law for the time being in force or rules or orders made
thereunder.
15. Protection of acts done in good faith. — No suit, prosecution or other legal proceedings
shall lie against the Government, any officer or the authority of the Government or any person for
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anything which is done, or intended to be done in good faith under this Act or the rules or orders made
thereunder.
16. Power to make rules. — (1) The State Government may, by notification in the Official
Gazette, and subject to the condition of previous publication, make rules to carry out the purposes of
this Act.
(2) Every rule made under this Act shall be laid, as soon as may be, after it is made, before each
House of the State Legislature, while it is in session for a total period of thirty days which may be
comprised in one session or in two or more successive sessions, and if, before the expiry of the session
in which it is so laid or the session immediately following, both Houses agree in making any
modification in the rule or both Houses agree that the rule should not be made, and notify such decision
in the Official Gazette , the rule shall, from the date of such notification, have effect only in such
modified form or be of no effect as the case may be; so, however that, any such modification or
annulment shall be without prejudice to the validity of anything pre viously done or omitted to be done
under that rule.
17. Power to remove difficulties.— (1) If any difficulty arises in giving effect to the provisions
of this Act, the State Government may, as occasion arises, by an order published in the Official
Gazette, do anything not inconsistent with the provisions of this Act, which appears to it to be
necessary or expedient for the purposes of removing the difficulty:
Provided that, no such order shall be made after the expiry of the period of two years from the
date of commencement of this Act.
(2) Every order made under sub -section ( 1) shall be laid, as soon as may be, after it is made,
before each House of the State Legislature.
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SCHEDULE
(See section 3)
Details of implementation
I-Primary Level (Standards I to V)
Marathi Language shall be introduced as the compulsory subject in Standard I from year 2020-2021
onwards and thereafter every year it shall be extended to further Standards progressively as below :—
Sr. No. Standard Academic Year
1. I 2020-2021
2. II 2021-2022
3. III 2022-2023
4. IV 2023-2024
5. V 2024-2025
II-Upper Primary and Secondary School Level
(Standard VI to X)
Marathi Language shall be introduced as the compulsory subject in Standard VI from year 2020-2021
onwards and thereafter every year it shall be extended to further Standards progressively as below :—
Sr. No. Standard Academic Year
1. VI 2020-2021
2. VII 2021-2022
3. VIII 2022-2023
4. IX 2023-2024
5. X 2024-2025