India, June 18 -- In response to growing public backlash, the Maharashtra government has rolled back its decision to make Hindi a compulsory third language in primary schools. A fresh government resolution (GR) issued on June 17 now allows students in Classes 1 to 5, studying in Marathi and English-medium schools, to opt for a different Indian language instead of Hindi, subject to certain conditions.

The updated guidelines from the state school education department clarify that if 20 or more students in a class wish to study an alternative Indian language, the school will appoint a dedicated teacher for it. If fewer than 20 students opt for a different language, the subject will be taught online.

The corrigendum to the earlier resolutio...