SC Questions CBSE's Third Language Rule From Class 9, Cites Increased Academic Burden

The Supreme Court on Thursday expressed serious concern over the Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) decision to make a third language compulsory from Class 9 in its curriculum.

Observing that this would increase the academic burden on students, the court suggested that the language should instead be introduced from Class 5 or 6, so that students do not feel additional pressure.

A bench of Justices B.V. Nagarathna and R. Mahadevan gave these oral directions to the Central Government.

Justice Nagarathna said that Class 9 is already an extremely stressful year and that this pressure begins from Class 8 itself. She directed that the court's concerns be conveyed to the government.

The Supreme Court made these observations while hearing a petition filed by the Tamil Nadu government challenging the Madras High Court's order directing the establishment of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas in every district of Tamil Nadu.

The court said that the CBSE should not implement the three-language policy from Class 9. "Studying in Class 9 is already difficult. Then what is the need to introduce a third language?" the Supreme Court asked, adding that it could increase students' mental stress.

"Tell the Government of India that they should not do this," the bench of Justices B.V. Nagarathna and R. Mahadevan said. They further observed that the third language should be introduced from Class 5 or 6 so that students can connect with it more effectively.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had refused to stay the CBSE's three-language policy. The court observed that learning languages is never wasted. It also questioned whether English could be considered an indigenous language of India.

The court also sought responses from the government and the CBSE within 10 days regarding the challenges in implementing the policy.

The matter will now be heard after 14 days, on July 29. The three-language policy has been implemented from the current 2026–27 academic session.

Under the new policy, students will be required to study two Indian languages and one foreign language. As a result, they will have to discontinue the languages they have been studying since Class 5.

The petitioners argued that the CBSE has implemented the three-language policy without adequate preparation.

Schools lack sufficient teachers, textbooks and the necessary educational infrastructure, creating difficulties for both students and teachers.

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