The Supreme Court has directed the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to extend the exemption from the mandatory three-language requirement to students currently studying in Class 6. The court said the revised language policy for these students should be implemented from April 1, 2027.
The direction came during a hearing on challenges related to the implementation of the mandatory third-language requirement in CBSE schools.
The Centre had told the court that it was not willing to exempt the current Class 6 batch from the policy for the ongoing academic year. The government said around 99 per cent of CBSE schools had already adopted the third-language system and had the necessary arrangements in place.
According to the Centre, only about 1.2 per cent of schools were facing difficulties in implementing the requirement.
However, the Supreme Court said Class 6 students should receive the same relief already provided to students in higher classes. The court observed that students should not be placed under additional difficulty because of a change in language requirements after their academic choices had already been made.
Court wants Class 6 students to have the same relief
The Supreme Court directed that students presently enrolled in Class 6 should be given the same exemption that had been extended to Class 7 students.
The court clarified that it was not stopping CBSE from implementing the broader policy and that the larger legal and policy issues surrounding the mandatory language requirement would be considered separately.
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant also suggested that senior government officials could interact with schools and parents to understand the difficulties arising from the new system.
The suggestion came amid concerns that some students had already been studying a particular language for several years and could now be required to switch to another language.
Parents raise concerns over language changes
Lawyers representing parents told the court that students at some schools had been studying languages such as Spanish from earlier classes.
Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for the parents, cited the example of a Delhi Public School where several students had been studying Spanish since Class 4. He said students were subsequently being moved to Sanskrit under the new arrangement.
The lawyer clarified that the dispute was not about choosing one language over another. Instead, he argued that students should not be forced to make a sudden change after following a particular language curriculum for several years.
Parents also raised concerns about the availability of textbooks. While the Centre maintained that the required books were available, the petitioners argued that physical copies had not been provided to students and that access was largely online.
Court stresses students' comfort
During the hearing, Justice Joymalya Bagchi said the court did not want students to face unnecessary difficulty because of the policy change.
The Solicitor General argued that Class 6 students would be capable of adapting to the new requirement. The court, however, emphasised that the objective should be to ensure that students are not subjected to avoidable disruption.
The Supreme Court ultimately directed that the current Class 6 batch be given the same relief as Class 7 students, with implementation of the requirement for them from April 1, 2027.
The court has listed the matter again after six weeks. The Centre has been given four weeks to file its counter-affidavit, while the petitioners will have two weeks thereafter to file their rejoinder.
The larger issue surrounding the CBSE's three-language policy will be examined as the proceedings continue.
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