Supreme Court questions CBSE's third language policy for Class 9
Supreme Court raises concerns over CBSE's policy of introducing a third language in Class 9.
The Supreme Court has expressed concern over the CBSE's policy of teaching a third language from Class 9. The court stated that Class 9 is already quite challenging for students, and adding a new language at this level could put additional pressure on them. The court has advised the central government to reconsider this policy.
During the hearing, Justice B.V. Nagarathna's bench remarked,
If students are to be taught a third language, it should start from Class 6 instead of Class 9. She noted that students in Class 9 are already under the pressure of preparing for the Class 10 board exams, so adding a third language at this time would not be appropriate.
This comment was made during the hearing of a petition by the Tamil Nadu government challenging the Madras High Court's order directing steps to establish a Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in each district of the state. During the hearing, the Tamil Nadu government argued that its objection is related to the Centre's three-language policy, under which CBSE is arranging to teach a third language from Class 9. In response, Justice Nagarathna stated that the earlier a new language is taught, the better. She said that if a third language is to be taught, it should start from middle school, i.e., Class 6.
Justice Nagarathna shared an example from her school days, stating that,
in her time, the study of a third language began from middle school. This gave students ample time to learn the language and gain a good command over it by the time of the board exams. She mentioned that in her school, options like Kannada, Hindi, and Sanskrit were available based on the second language. According to her, learning a new language at a younger age is easier and more effective for students.
The court also advised the central government to reconsider this arrangement. During the hearing, Justice Nagarathna clarified that nowhere in the New Education Policy (NEP) is it stated that the third language must be Hindi. She said that under the policy, two languages are mandatory, which include the state language and English. Any other Indian language can be chosen as the third language. Therefore, there is no provision in the NEP to impose Hindi on any state.
The court asked the Tamil Nadu government if it would still object if the third language were Sanskrit instead of Hindi. To this, the Tamil Nadu government replied that its opposition is not to any particular language but to the compulsion of a third language from Class 9. Several other petitions challenging the CBSE's three-language policy are also pending in the Supreme Court. During the hearings on these petitions, the Supreme Court has already issued notices to the Union Ministry of Education and CBSE seeking their response.