Supreme Court gives Class 6 students relief from CBSE three-language rule; ‘want comfort, not difficulty’

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has directed the Centre and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to extend to the current Class 6 batch the same exemption from the three-language framework that has been granted to students of Class 7.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana passed the direction on September 28 after hearing pleas challenging aspects of the implementation of the language policy.

The Centre had told the court that it was not inclined to exempt the current Class 6 students and wanted the policy to be followed from the ongoing academic year.

The court, however, said Class 6 students should receive the same "comfort" already extended to Class 7 students and directed that the policy be implemented for them from April 1, 2027.

What did the Centre tell the Supreme Court?

The Centre told the bench that around 99 per cent of CBSE-affiliated schools had adopted the third-language policy and had the required facilities.

According to the government, implementation-related difficulties affected about 1.2 per cent of schools.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said the government had held detailed discussions but was not inclined to exempt the current Class 6 batch from the policy.

The Centre also maintained that textbooks and other required materials were available.

The dispute concerns students who had already progressed through their existing language choices before the new framework was introduced.

During the hearing, the court raised concerns about asking students to change their language arrangements midway through their schooling.

Justice Joymalya Bagchi said the court did not want the change to create additional difficulty for students.

The court also considered whether implementation for the current Class 6 batch could be deferred to allow schools more time to arrange teachers, textbooks and other resources.

Parents raise language-switch concerns

Lawyers representing the parents argued that the issue was not simply about learning an additional language but also about changing language choices after students had already spent several years studying them.

Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan cited Delhi Public School as an example, telling the court that some students had studied Spanish from Class 4 but were subsequently moved to Sanskrit under the new framework.

He also raised concerns about the availability of physical textbooks and the practical difficulties faced by schools and students.

The petitioners argued that the language framework should be implemented consistently with the National Education Policy and constitutional provisions.

What is the CBSE three-language framework?

The dispute relates to the CBSE's move to align its scheme of studies with the National Education Policy, 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education, 2023.

Under the framework, students are required to study three languages, with at least two categorised as Indian or "Bhartiya Bhashas".

CBSE's list of Indian languages includes Hindi, Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi, Gujarati, Odia and Assamese, among others.

English, French, German, Arabic and Spanish have been categorised separately as non-native languages under the framework.

What relief had already been given to Class 7 students?

The CBSE had earlier stated that students in the current Classes 7 and 8 batches who had already selected and begun studying two non-native languages would be required to study one additional Indian language and continue with it until the Class 10 assessment.

However, the third language would be assessed internally by the school rather than through a CBSE Board examination when these students reach Class 10.

The Supreme Court's latest direction extends the same relief to the current Class 6 batch.

The Supreme Court has directed that the present Class 6 students be given the same accommodation as Class 7 students.

Implementation of the three-language requirement for this batch is to begin from April 1, 2027.

The larger legal and policy questions surrounding the mandatory language framework remain before the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court has posted the matter for hearing after six weeks.

The CBSE has been directed to file its counter-affidavit within four weeks, followed by a rejoinder, if required, within two weeks.

The court may consider the broader challenges to the language framework in subsequent proceedings.

Why the CBSE language policy is being challenged

The dispute reflects a tension between implementing the language provisions envisaged under the NEP 2020 and managing the transition for students who had already selected languages under an earlier system.

For the government and CBSE, the three-language framework is part of aligning school education with the NEP and the National Curriculum Framework.

For the petitioners, the central concern is the practical impact of changing language choices after students have already spent several years studying a particular language.

The Supreme Court's latest order does not settle the broader challenge to the three-language framework. Instead, it provides transitional relief to the current Class 6 batch while the larger issues remain under consideration.

The court's direction also gives CBSE-affiliated schools additional time to prepare for implementation, including arrangements involving teachers, textbooks and other learning resources.