New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India has voiced serious concerns regarding the introduction of a third language under the Central Board of Secondary Education curriculum from Class 9 onwards. A Division Bench comprising Justices B.V. Nagarathna and R. Mahadevan orally urged the Central government to reconsider the timing of the policy, noting that implementing a new language at the Class 9 stage adds unnecessary academic stress to students. The bench suggested that if the government intends to introduce an additional language, it should ideally be implemented at the Class 5 or Class 6 level when students are better positioned to adapt to new linguistic coursework without intense academic pressure.
These observations emerged during the hearing of an appeal filed by the Tamil Nadu government challenging a 2017 Madras High Court directive that ordered the establishment of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas in every district of the state. The Tamil Nadu government has historically resisted the setting up of these Central schools due to long-standing objections over the mandatory three-language formula. During the proceedings, the bench clarified that the multi-language policy does not explicitly mandate the imposition of Hindi, noting that states have the flexibility to offer other classical or regional languages like Sanskrit alongside the state language and English. While the court explicitly stated it was not directly adjudicating the validity of the CBSE language notification—which is currently under review by another apex court bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant—it strongly advised against introducing rigorous curriculum changes during crucial secondary education years.
Furthermore, Justice Nagarathna actively cautioned the Tamil Nadu government against rejecting beneficial Central educational infrastructure solely because of its jurisdictional origin. The apex court noted that active dialogue between Central and State representatives regarding the operational guidelines of the Navodaya schools is ongoing. Acknowledging that a new dispensation has recently assumed governance in Tamil Nadu, the bench expressed interest in seeing the fresh policy approach the state administration brings to the discussion. To allow the state counsel adequate time to gather detailed instructions, the Supreme Court scheduled the matter for its next comprehensive hearing on August 11.
