Supreme Court to hear challenge to CBSE compulsory 3-language rule

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a legal challenge next week against a new policy from the Central Board of Secondary Education that makes the study of three languages compulsory for students entering Class 9. The policy, set to take effect on July 1, mandates that at least two of the three languages be native Indian languages.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant agreed to list the matter after senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi urgently mentioned a Public Interest Litigation on Friday. Rohatgi, representing a group of students, teachers, and parents, argued that introducing the requirement in the middle of the academic cycle would create chaos and place undue academic and mental pressure on students. He contended that the sudden change has caused confusion among schools and families.

The challenge pertains to a circular issued by the CBSE on May 15, which aligns the board's curriculum with the National Education Policy 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework. Under the new framework, students opting for a foreign language may do so only as a third language after two Indian languages, or as an additional fourth language. The board has stated that the third language,...