New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to consider deferring the mandatory three-language policy for Class 6 students until the 2027 academic session to make the transition easier for students.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana suggested that postponing the mandatory implementation could give students more time to adjust to the new language requirements. The Court also indicated that students currently studying in Class 6 who wish to learn three languages during the ongoing academic session should continue to be permitted to do so.
The three-language policy is aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which promotes multilingual education. Under the policy, students are required to study three languages, with at least two of them being native Indian languages.
The CBSE framework also provides that foreign languages can be offered only as a third or fourth language. The policy is aimed at strengthening the learning of Indian languages while promoting multilingualism among school students.
The Supreme Court’s suggestion to consider postponing the mandatory requirement to 2027 is intended to ensure a smoother transition for Class 6 students and avoid placing them under sudden additional academic pressure. At the same time, students who voluntarily wish to study three languages in the current session would not be prevented from doing so.
The matter assumes significance as CBSE schools across the country implement provisions linked to NEP 2020. Any decision to defer the mandatory requirement would provide schools, students and parents additional time to prepare for the revised language-learning framework.
