New Delhi: The Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) new three-language mandate for Class 9 has drawn criticism from parents, students, teachers and school institutions across India, with many calling the move hasty, impractical and disconnected from classroom realities.Introduced through a circular dated May 15 under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 framework, the policy mandates the study of three languages from July 2026, of which at least two must be Indian. While CBSE has clarified that there will be no board exam for third language in Class 10, resistance has intensified over time, burden of implementation and impact on students already studying foreign languages like French and German.“Just do CBSE. And how many more students will you ruin,” wrote Adv Vishnu Gupta in one of the fiercest public reactions circulating online.TOI Education sought response, CBSE silentAmid growing confusion and criticism, TOI Education approached CBSE through the board’s PRO office and sought an official clarification from CBSE Director (Education) Dr Pragya M Singh on several concerns regarding the implementation of the policy.Despite the start of the academic session in April, questions were raised about the urgency of introducing a major structural change in May, the redistribution of workload, teacher availability, timetable restructuring and the absence of publicly shared readiness assessments for schools.TOI Education has also sought clarification on the concerns of students facing extra academic pressure during Class 9 and 10, especially those preparing for board exams and competitive entrance tests simultaneously.Despite repeated approaches, CBSE had not responded till the publication of this report.Parents question timing and planning.The backlash has been particularly intense among parents of current Class 8 and 9 students who say children are being forced to switch language tracks abruptly as secondary-level academics demand more.“Introducing a third language in class 9 during board/competitive exam preparation is absurd. Should be optional, not mandatory,” said Sabyasachi Panda.Many parents questioned why this policy was not introduced earlier. “It should have been introduced from class 6. Class 9 is too late and creates more burden,” said Namita Bhatt.Preity Goyal criticized the timing of the announcement. “Students already studying French/German have been unfairly affected,” he said, adding that the academic session had already started before the change was announced.In Gurgaon, after CBSE directed institutions to upload implementation details on the OASIS portal by May 30, schools have reportedly struggled to get parental consent through the mandatory Google Forms.A school principal told TNN that barely one or two parents have submitted acceptance forms so far in the entire Class 9 batch.Students fear more pressure.Students have also begun to openly express concern about the reduced time for science and maths preparation.“With seven subjects, my timetable is more full. I have an extra period and more homework every day. Science and math practice time is reduced by about 30 minutes,” Class 9 student Farhan Islam told TNN.Another student said that uncertainty over foreign language continuity has affected long-term study abroad plans.“My child has been studying French as his second language since class one… Now he will have to take Bengali as his third language,” parent Polomi Roy told TNN.The Supreme Court challenge intensified the scrutinyNow this dispute has reached the Supreme Court. Parents and students have challenged the policy, arguing that students cannot be expected to “suddenly start learning a new language” before entering board exam years.Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the petitioners, told the court that there was “obvious distress” among the students already dealing with academic pressure.Meanwhile, online criticism is intensifying.Rohit Panwar wrote, “Totally stupid decision. Instead of focusing on AI and technology, students are being burdened with a third language.”Education bodies including the Haryana Progressive Schools Conference and the All India Save Education Committee have also called for a review of the policy, warning that poor implementation could lead to tension and confusion in CBSE schools across the country.
