The Supreme Court is deliberating on whether English can be deemed 'non-indigenous' under the Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) three-language policy. The court is hearing petitions challenging the compulsory three-language rule for students from the 2026-’27 academic year.
During a hearing on Thursday, the Supreme Court bench, comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, expressed the need for constitutional analysis to determine if English could be classified as 'non-indigenous' under CBSE's three-language policy. The court was convened to address a series of petitions filed against CBSE's decision to make three languages compulsory for students from the 2026-’27 academic year, with at least two being Indian. The petitioners argued that English should not be equated with foreign languages due to its historical presence in India and the burden it places on students who may have to abandon previously studied subjects to learn Indian languages from scratch.
In response, Chief Justice Kant questioned whether this policy did not support national integrity by promoting the learning of Indian languages. He also posed a question about the benefit of a North Indian student learning South Indian languages. The petitioners objected to the implementation of the policy midway through a student's schooling, suggesting that it would be more acceptable if introduced prospectively rather than forcing Class 9 students to switch from their existing languages.
Justice Bagchi proposed relaxing the rules for Class 6 students, allowing them to make an informed choice. He suggested that implementing the revised system for subsequent batches would provide a smoother transition. In a circular released on May 15, CBSE outlined its plans for the implementation of the three-language policy.
Class 9 students will be required to study three languages from July 1. Those who have been studying two Indian languages can opt for a foreign language or an additional Indian language. Class 9 students with one Indian and one non-native language can choose any Indian language as their third option. Students who were previously studying two foreign languages have been granted a 'special one-time relaxation' to add an Indian language as their third choice.
For the current batch of Class 9 students, there will be no board exams for the third language, with school-based assessments taking their place instead. Class 7 and Class 8 students who have chosen two foreign languages can continue studying them, but they will also need to study an additional Indian language up until Class 10. The CBSE announced that the third language for these batches would be evaluated through internal school assessments.
Source:
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