New Delhi: The Centre, the CBSE and the NCERT have strongly defended in the Supreme Court the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020’s three-language framework, saying it is essential for promoting “multilingualism and national integration”.
The Union Ministry of Education, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), in separate affidavits, have sought the dismissal of pleas filed against the three-language policy adopted in CBSE-affiliated schools across the country.
Meanwhile, a bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on Tuesday sought responses from the Centre, the NCERT and the CBSE on two fresh pleas challenging the board’s policy mandating the study of three languages, including two native Indian languages, for Class-9 students.
The ministry, in an affidavit, has said the three-language policy is essential for promoting multilingualism and national integration. Recommendations concerning language education and multilingual learning form part of the larger educational reforms contemplated under the NEP, it has said.
“National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCFSE) 2023, in pursuance of NEP-2020, reiterates the implementation of the three-language formula and recommends that students study three languages during Grades VI to X, with at least two of such languages being native Indian languages,” the ministry has said.
“The vision of the policy is to instil among the learners a deep-rooted pride in being Indian, not only in thought, but also in spirit, intellect and deeds, as well as to develop knowledge, skills, values and dispositions that support responsible commitment to human rights, sustainable development and living, and global well-being, thereby reflecting a truly global citizen,” it has said.
The CBSE has said the language policy has been introduced through a “planned, phased and systematic” process and does not force students to abandon foreign languages.
In an affidavit filed in response to a petition challenging the board’s May 15 circular on the three-language scheme, the CBSE has said, “The formulation of curriculum, the Scheme of Studies, the choice and sequencing of languages, the pedagogy and the mode of assessment are quintessentially matters of academic policy falling within the domain of expert educational bodies, and the scope of judicial review in such matters is narrow….”
It has submitted that the petitioners’ concerns have already been substantially addressed through guidelines issued on June 29 and a subsequent circular dated July 10, which provide transitional relaxations, exemptions and safeguards to ensure that no student is disadvantaged during implementation.
According to the affidavit, students currently in Class 10 (2026-27) will continue under the existing two-language system and will not be required to study a third language.
For students presently in Class 12, the CBSE has said the third language (R3) will be assessed only through internal school-based evaluation, with no paper on the subject when they appear for the Class-10 board examination in 2027-28.
The board has further said students who had already opted for two non-native languages, such as English and French, have been granted a one-time relaxation, allowing them to continue studying both languages, while adding one “Bharatiya Bhasha” (Indian language) as the third language.
It has maintained that foreign languages continue to be part of the Scheme of Studies and have not been removed. Rejecting the petitioners’ central contention, the CBSE has told the court that the claim that foreign-language education has been eliminated is “factually incorrect”.
It has submitted that a foreign language can continue to be studied either as one of the three languages, provided the other two are Indian languages, or as an additional fourth language.
The board has also contended that apprehensions regarding the absence of teachers, textbooks and learning resources are misplaced.
It has informed the court that the NCERT has started making grade-appropriate learning resources available, while schools have been allowed to use flexible staffing arrangements, including existing teachers with functional proficiency, retired teachers, qualified postgraduates, inter-school resource sharing through Sahodaya clusters and virtual or hybrid teaching.
It also provides flexibility to students whose parents migrate to another state, allowing them to continue with their existing language combination.
Defending the constitutional validity of the policy, the board has said the May 15 circular is neither arbitrary nor discriminatory and does not violate Articles 14, 19(1)(g), 21, 21A or 29 of the Constitution.
In an affidavit filed by its director, Professor Dinesh Prasad Saklani, the NCERT has submitted that the changes are being made to promote competency-based learning, multilingual education, age-appropriate pedagogy and rootedness in India’s linguistic and cultural diversity.
“NCERT has undertaken and carried out the necessary academic and administrative processes for the review, vetting, finalisation and approval of the R3 Language Learning Resource Material for Class IX in all 22 Scheduled Languages,” it has said.
It has also said that learning material for R3 for Class-9 students has already been brought out for Hindi, Sanskrit, Marathi and Urdu, and uploaded on the NCERT website.
