Supreme Court Faces New Challenge Over CBSE's Language Policy for Class IX

Legal Challenge to CBSE's Language Requirement

New Delhi: A new petition has been submitted to the Supreme Court contesting a recent CBSE directive that requires Class IX students to learn three languages, including two native Indian languages, starting July 1.

The petition, brought forth by Dr. Fauzia Khan, an education expert and former minister in Maharashtra, argues that the CBSE's circular issued on May 15 is both arbitrary and unjust.

The circular itself acknowledges a shortage of teachers but still insists on compliance, leading to a situation where, in southern states, Hindi becomes mandatory, while in northern states, Sanskrit is enforced, without any educational justification, the petition claims.

Dr. Khan, affiliated with the NCP-SCP party, asserts that compelling non-Hindi speaking states to adopt Hindi or Sanskrit contradicts the National Education Policy 2020.

On May 27, the Supreme Court had already acknowledged a plea against the CBSE's language policy.

As per the latest CBSE circular, starting July 1, students in Class IX will be required to study three languages, including at least two that are native to India.

This initiative aligns with the CBSE's efforts to conform to the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023.

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To meet the competencies expected at the secondary level, the board plans to include local or state literary materials, such as short stories or poems, chosen by schools to supplement the textbooks.

The CBSE has stated that detailed guidelines for selecting and using these supplementary materials will be released by June 15.

According to the May 15 circular, students wishing to study a foreign language can only do so as their third language after completing two native Indian languages or as an additional fourth language.

From July 1, 2026, the requirement for Class IX will be the study of three languages (R1, R2, R3), with at least two being native Indian languages, as specified in the circular.

Until the dedicated R3 textbooks are available, students in Class IX will use the Class 6 R3 textbooks (2026-27 edition) for their chosen language.

The CBSE has emphasized that to alleviate pressure on students, there will be no board examination for R3 at the Class X level.

All assessments for R3 will be conducted internally by schools, and students' performance in R3 will be reflected in their CBSE certificates. It is also clarified that no student will be prevented from taking the Class X Board Examinations due to R3. Sample question papers and assessment rubrics will be provided by the board soon.

Additionally, schools are required to update their R3 language offerings for Classes 6 to 9 on the OASIS portal by June 30.