Supreme Court Urges CBSE to Defer Mandatory Three-Language Policy for Class 6 to 2027

The Supreme Court on Thursday urged the Union government and the Central Board of Secondary Education to defer making the three language policy mandatory for Class 6 students until January 1, 2027. A three judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant stated that enforcing the requirement immediately during the current academic session would spring an unexpected logistical burden on young children and their families.

The proceedings arose from a batch of writ petitions challenging CBSE circulars and the Secondary School Curriculum for the 2026 to 2027 academic year. The framework mandates that students study three languages, with at least two being native Indian languages, often referred to as Bhartiya Bhashas. While the CBSE previously granted relaxations to students in Classes 7 through 10, the board initially maintained that the policy must apply immediately to Class 6 since those students begin a new educational cohort.

During the hearing, Justice Joymalya Bagchi pressed Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, representing the Union of India, to grant breathing space to families rather than enforcing the policy mid term. The bench emphasized that its recommendation for a January 1, 2027 implementation date was grounded entirely in logistics and the balance of convenience for students.

Justice Bagchi noted during the exchange that while the policy was envisaged in 2020 and rolled out in early 2026, pushing compliance onto children already enrolled in Class 6 creates acute disruption. The court clarified that its suggestion to defer the mandate was without prejudice to the petitioners' underlying legal contentions challenging the constitutional and statutory validity of the policy itself.

Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati informed the bench that the CBSE had recently constituted a dedicated committee on September 16 to monitor and facilitate the rollout of the three language framework across classes 6 through 10 in affiliated schools. Chaired by Bhagwati Prasad Kalal, Director of School Education and Literacy in the Ministry of Education, the committee includes senior officials from the NCERT, CBSE, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, and Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti.

The panel is tasked with reviewing existing language offerings, assessing the availability of qualified language teachers, examining the distribution of textbooks and digital learning resources, and recommending solutions for implementation bottlenecks. Responding to the bench's proposal, ASG Bhati agreed to take the court's suggestions back to the government and secure instructions from the Ministry of Education.

The contested guidelines require every student in applicable classes to study three languages, where foreign languages like French, German, or Spanish can be chosen only as a third language after mastering two native Indian languages, or as an additional fourth language. The CBSE previously noted that no board examinations will be conducted for the third language at the Class 10 level to reduce undue pressure on learners.

The Supreme Court scheduled the matter for further hearing on Wednesday of the following week, when the Additional Solicitor General is expected to return with formal instructions from the government regarding the proposed deferral for Class 6 students.