New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India on Monday directed the Central Board of Secondary Education to grant current Class 6 students the same exemption from the three-language framework that was previously extended to students of Classes 7, 8, and 9. A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice V. Mohana ruled that students currently enrolled in the sixth grade should be afforded the same academic comfort and relief from mandatory board evaluations as higher grades.
Under the transitional framework, students entering Class 6 will continue studying the third language as part of their regular coursework, but they will not be subjected to a mandatory Class 10 board examination in that subject. Instead, assessment for the third language will remain internal and school-based, ensuring that a student’s final promotion or certification is not hindered. The Bench also permitted students already studying two non-native languages to retain their existing language selections alongside an additional Bharatiya Bhasha, sparing them from having to drop existing coursework midway through their academic journey.
The order came despite strong opposition from the Union Government. Appearing for the Centre, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta maintained that authorities were not inclined to grant an exemption to the current Class 6 cohort, pointing out that nearly 99 per cent of roughly 28,000 CBSE-affiliated schools had already complied with infrastructure requirements and made books and instructors available. Mehta argued that exempting the current batch would disrupt foundational continuity envisioned under the National Education Policy 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education 2023.
The Bench, however, noted that several months had already elapsed since the academic session began in April and observed that introducing changes mid-stream poses unnecessary psychological and logistical hurdles for young learners. Justice Joymalya Bagchi advocated for a phased soft launch, emphasizing that mandatory full implementation should be deferred to April 2027 to allow schools to bridge the remaining resource gaps smoothly.
Representing petitioner parents and schools, Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan opposed the appointment of further administrative committees and underscored the disruption faced by students who had studied specific languages since Class 4 and were suddenly required to change curricula. The apex court directed the CBSE to file its response affidavit within four weeks and scheduled the matter for further hearing after six weeks.
