The Central Board of Secondary Education’s decision to implement a revised three-language policy for Class 9 students from July this year has triggered confusion, anxiety and criticism among parents, teachers and schools across the country.
According to the guidelines given by the National Education Policy 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education 2023, students will have to study three languages, and at least two of them should be Indian languages.
But, it is the timing of its announcement that has become controversial. It has been suggested that students who have chosen foreign languages like French, German or Spanish since Class 6 are suddenly made to change the language combination they started with.
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Sudden policy shift sparks backlash
However, as per the previous notification given by the CBSE Board on April 9, 2026, the three languages rule was unlikely to affect the Class 9 students until the academic year 2029-30. The schools and students had accordingly made their academic plans according to this.
However, recently, on May 15, the board has changed its stance and decided that the rules will become effective from July 1 onwards for the class 9th students. This sudden announcement has caused a lot of unrest among many parents on WhatsApp groups as well as social media platforms.
“Seems our kids are experimental rats for CBSE this year,” one parent wrote in a discussion group cited by NDTV. Another parent questioned how students who had already spent three years learning a foreign language could suddenly be expected to switch to Hindi, Sanskrit or another Indian language.
Several parents also argued that the move places additional pressure on students entering a crucial academic phase ahead of Class 10 board examinations.
Schools fear practical challenges
Teachers and school administrators have also expressed concern over the practical difficulties of implementing the policy within weeks.
Veteran educator Pratima Maiti told NDTV that the decision appeared “poorly timed and top-down,” especially for students still recovering from pandemic-era learning disruptions.
“There aren’t enough trained teachers for Sanskrit and other regional languages in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities,” she reportedly said, adding that schools may be forced to hire temporary teachers or outsource classes.
Educators also warned that introducing another compulsory language could increase academic pressure, reduce time for extracurricular activities and disrupt existing timetables.
The issue is expected to be particularly challenging for students who have shifted cities during the academic year. One parent cited in the report said her son, who had studied French in Gurugram, may now have to learn Kannada after relocating to Bengaluru.
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Policy faces legal challenge
Now, the issue has reached the judiciary with the CBSE’s decision being challenged in the Supreme Court of India. The opponents of the policy state that although the move may be good intentioned, imposing it halfway through the year is not fair for those students who have chosen their language way back in previous years.
In its defense, the CBSE states that the move is taken in view of aligning school education according to the aims set out in the National Education Policy.
However, while schools try to grasp how to implement the policy and parents struggle to get information about it, the discussion has soon shifted from multilingual education to timing issues.
