CBSE 3 language policy: Former Maharashtra minister files plea in Supreme Court against CBSE’s 3-language rule for Class 9 students
The plea filed by educationist and former Maharashtra minister Dr Fauzia Khan alleges that CBSE’s May 15 circular was arbitrary and unreasonable.
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While seeking intervention in the main issue, the plea said, “The impugned circular acknowledges this shortage of teachers in its text but continues to mandate compliance therewith. Consequently, the only practical purpose served by the circular in question is the compulsory introduction of Hindi in the southern states and the compulsory introduction of Sanskrit in the northern states, without any educational justification.” he said.
Khan, who belongs to the NCP-SCP party, said forcing non-Hindi states to use Hindi or Sanskrit violates the National Education Policy 2020.
On May 27, the apex court issued notice on a plea challenging CBSE’s policy requiring the study of three languages.
According to a recent circular issued by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), the study of three languages, including at least two native Indian languages, has been made compulsory for Class 9 students from July 1. The move is part of CBSE’s alignment of its education plan with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023.
“In order to adequately meet the prescribed competencies in the secondary phase, these textbooks shall be supplemented with appropriate local or state literary material, such as short stories, poems, or works of non-fiction selected by the schools,” the board said. he said.
He added that detailed guidelines on the selection and pedagogical use of additional literary materials will be published by June 15.
According to the circular issued on May 15, students opting for a foreign language will be able to do so only as a third language or as an additional fourth language after learning two main Indian languages.
“From July 1, 2026, the study of three languages (R1, R2, R3) will be compulsory for Class IX and at least two languages will be native Hindi,” the circular said.
The Board said that until dedicated R3 textbooks are available, Grade 9 students will use Grade 6 R3 textbooks (2026-27 edition) of the chosen language.
To maintain focus on learning and reduce unnecessary pressure on students, there will be no board exam for R3 at Class 10 level, CBSE said.
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“All evaluations for R3 will be completely school-based and internal. The performance of students in R3 will be duly reflected in the CBSE certificate. It has been clarified that no student will be barred from appearing for Class X Board Exams due to R3. Sample question papers and rubrics for internal evaluation will be shared by the board shortly.”
The board also asked schools to update R3 language offerings for Grades 6 to 9 on the OASIS portal by June 30.
