Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to pass any interim order on a petition challenging the implementation of the Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) three-language policy for Class 9 students.
The policy, which comes into effect from the 2026-27 academic session, requires students to study three languages, including at least two native Indian languages.
A Bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice V Mohana said it would not issue a temporary order and instead directed that the petition be heard along with similar cases already pending before the court. The matter has now been listed for hearing on July 14.
NO IMMEDIATE RELIEF FROM THE COURT
The petition was filed by the NGO Friends of People for Active Democracy. During the hearing, the organisation clarified that it was not opposing the three-language policy itself but only its implementation.
The Bench, however, made it clear that interim protection was not warranted at this stage. “We cannot pass a single-line order today. This matter was argued at length. There is no question of interim protection,” the court observed.
In a lighter moment during the hearing, Chief Justice Surya Kant also remarked on the NGO’s name, asking whether it was intended to create fear in the minds of the court or the public. The petitioner’s counsel responded that it was simply the registered name of a trust established in 2013.
WHAT THE NEW POLICY SAYS
The language policy is part of CBSE‘s effort to align its curriculum with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023.
From July 1, 2026, all Class 9 students in CBSE-affiliated schools will be required to study three languages, with at least two being native Indian languages. Students may choose a foreign language only as their third language after studying two Indian languages or as an additional fourth language.
The Board has also clarified that there will be no Class 10 Board examination for the third language. Instead, assessment will remain school-based, and students’ performance will be reflected in their CBSE certificates.
SCHOOLS HAVE HOMEWORK TOO
The CBSE has directed schools to update their language offerings on the OASIS portal by June 30.
While textbooks in 19 scheduled Indian languages will be available before the academic session begins, schools may use State Council of Educational Research and Training resources for other languages.
To address teacher shortages, schools have been allowed to temporarily engage teachers proficient in the required language, use interschool resource sharing, hybrid teaching, retired language teachers and qualified postgraduates.
The Board has also announced relaxations for children with special needs and case-by-case exemptions for certain foreign students returning to India.
(With PTI inputs)
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
