Overview
- The Central Board of Secondary Education has formally integrated Maithili as a mother‑tongue or elective subject from Class 1 up to the secondary level for the 2026‑27 academic year and has published the syllabus on its academic portal.
- A May 19 letter from Union minister Jayant Chaudhary to Darbhanga MP Gopal Jee Thakur said the decision followed consultation with the National Council of Educational Research and Training and other due processes.
- Bihar leaders and regional cultural groups welcomed the change, with Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary calling the inclusion a source of pride for Mithila and BJP state figures urging wider promotion of the language.
- NCERT has prepared foundational primers and is translating textbooks into India’s scheduled languages, and officials framed the Maithili rollout as an implementation step under the National Education Policy 2020’s emphasis on teaching in the mother tongue.
- Practical rollout and effects to watch include CBSE offering Maithili as an optional language in secondary classes from July, how schools adopt teaching materials and teachers, and renewed local campaigns for wider recognition such as classical‑language status.