• Source:JND

The Central Board of Secondary Education’s decision to make three-language study compulsory for Classes 9 and 10 has triggered political pushback, criticism from education stakeholders and concern among students in several parts of the country.

Under the revised framework, CBSE students will now have to study three languages, R1, R2 and R3, from the 2026-27 academic session, with at least two of them required to be Indian languages. The board has clarified that the third language will not be part of the Class 10 board examination and will instead be internally assessed by schools.

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The policy, introduced as part of the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023, has reopened the long-running language debate in states that have historically opposed the three-language formula.

DMK leader TKS Elangovan reiterated Tamil Nadu’s opposition to the move, saying the state would continue following its existing two-language policy. “They cannot change the system followed in Tamil Nadu. They may introduce it anywhere but not in Tamil Nadu. We have a system which we are strictly following, and there is no question of a three-language formula in Tamil Nadu,” PTI quoted Elangovan.

The impact of the revised framework is already being felt in some regions. In Puducherry, several CBSE schools reportedly removed French from the 2026-27 curriculum after the revised language structure restricted foreign language options in schools where English is already taught.

“This will cause trouble. Principals, teachers, and students are all troubled. Those learning French or German now face uncertainty, even though such languages could bring jobs and knowledge. Most of India is Hindi‑speaking, but if someone studies German or French, it benefits them; they can work as translators or abroad. No language should be imposed. Politicians send their own children abroad for education, yet impose rules on ordinary students. This approach to education is difficult to understand," Congress Leader Udit Raj said.

DMK women’s wing convenor Tr Gayathri Srikanth raised concerns over the effect on both students and teachers. Srikanth is a X post, said, “If French is removed from CBSE schools under the 3-language policy, who is responsible for students who studied French from Classes 1 to 5 and now face discontinuity. Who is responsible for private school French teachers facing job loss?” 

Congress leader Surendra Rajput also attacked the Centre over the rollout, alleging that major policy decisions were being implemented without adequate consultation. “All new measures are implemented through dialogue in a democracy. Since the BJP came to power, the process of dialogue in democracy has been brought to an end. An autocratic system has been imposed,” Rajput said.

He further questioned the absence of discussions with Parliament, MPs, education experts and the public before introducing the revised structure. “In a democracy, the participation of all stakeholders is essential in such decisions. Neither the public was consulted, nor was there any discussion in Parliament or with MPs. Decisions taken without discussion can prove to be dangerous. We will study the matter in detail, and only after that will we issue a detailed statement,” he added.

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The change will allow Indian students to select an Indian language out of Hindi, Sanskrit, Bengali, Assamese, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Gujarati, Odia, Punjabi and Urdu within the framework. Only when an Indian student has chosen two Indian languages can he/she opt for a foreign language, out of French, German, Spanish, Japanese and Russian. 

CBSE has said that the purpose of this alteration is to ensure multilingualism and that Indian languages can stand tall along with English, according to NEP 2020. CBSE also stated that no candidate will be disallowed to appear for the CBSE Class 10 Board Exam due to marks secured in the third language.


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