CBSE's Three-Language Policy and the Supreme Court: Class 6 Students Get Relief for Language Choice
Class 6 students get a chance to select a foreign language under CBSE's revised Three Language Policy, thanks to the Supreme Court. It ordered the CBSE to consider one last time the Romex adaptation (change from one level to another) of Class 6 students while retaining their choice of foreign language, thereby allowing them to avoid the compulsory Class 10 Board exam in the third language.
This was said in one of the many hearings over the challenges on CBSE's revised language policy for the 2026-27 session. The bench comprising the CJI, Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, commented on the short notice but focused on the challenges with language choice, teacher availability and school readiness.
Class 6 students, first to be impacted
Class 6 students are the first class to be impacted by the revised Three Language Policy at the middle level. Justice Joymalya Bagchi suggested students who have already selected and started studying a particular language should be given some protection to avoid abruptly changing their language combination. The Court asked the Centre and CBSE to introduce the revised arrangement from the next batch, while class 6 students were given a reprieve.
The ruling means CBSE is considering class 6 students for the relaxation while the court case is ongoing.
What is the CBSE three-language policy?
As per the guidelines laid by CBSE for the implementation of the three-language policy from the session 2026-27, in alignment with NEP 2020, the students will have three language options, At least two of which are intended to be Indian languages. CBSE also explained some temporary arrangements for the existing students in its June guidelines.
The Board expressed that the Class 10 batch will have no implications of this new system. Students of Classes 7, 8 and 9, who have opted for two foreign languages, will have the privilege to continue this (coupled with one additional Indian language) option and will not be required to take a Class 10 Board exam in the third language.
However, the Class 6 batch was placed by CBSE under the new system; thus, the new order by the Supreme Court is meant to be of great value to the parents and the schools.
Why did the Supreme Court question the policy?
The bench of the Supreme Court expressed its concern about whether the schools can provide the options given by CBSE in their three-language policy. The bench asked CBSE to prepare a detailed plan on the requirement of teachers, teaching aids, textbooks and other required learning aids for the 23 language options. School requirements for the teaching of these 23 languages may vary greatly based on the availability of teaching aids.
Justice Bagchi highlighted that considering the history of English in India and its status as one of the official languages of the Union and of various states, its classification by CBSE as a non-native language may not be justified.
What does this mean for Class 6 students?
For now, parents should understand that the Class 6 exemption is not final. The Supreme Court seems to have suggested that CBSE think about the impact of their roll-out on students who have already finalised their language choices. If CBSE decides in favor of the proposed break, then the current Class 6 will have a break too, and the full implementation of the 3-language policy will be for students entering Class 6 at a later date.
The Court has also thrown the book at CBSE and has said that the implementation of the policy should be practical. It has also said that if only primary language instruction is required and the teachers are not available, then online instruction should be provided.
Final Thoughts
The Court has asked the Centre and CBSE to inform it of the available teachers and learning materials, as well as the proposed action for the current Class 6 students. The Court has not said that the 3-language policy should be done away with altogether. It has only said that the policy should be amended if required.
The big question for students and parents is this: will the current Class 6 students get similar protection to a number of older classes? Until Class 6 students receive concrete communication from CBSE that they will be protected, they should continue to follow the published instructions.
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