CBSE resets 3-language order, but schools have more questions

Noida: Schools remained unsure about the road ahead despite CBSE on Monday taking a step back from its three-language formula, exempting the current class X batch, and allowing those in classes VII, VIII and IX to continue as they are, but with compulsory addition of a native Indian language, or Bhartiya Bhasha, which will not be part of board exams.Teachers and principals TOI spoke to said it is not clear if R1 (first language) and R2 (second language) should mandatorily be Indian languages for students in classes VII-IX. If a student already studies two Indian languages and adds a third language, it is unclear which should be designated R1, R2, and R3 (third language), they said.“For example, if a student already has Hindi and Tamil as two languages and adds another native or non-native language, which of these languages should be considered R1, R2, and R3? There needs to be a classified guideline for the same,” said Neha Sharma, Noida’s CBSE city coordinator.

Another teacher asked whether a student studying two native languages would have the option to convert one of them as the compulsory R3 mandated by CBSE and choose a non-native language.A principal of a private school said there was academic vacuum on teaching of languages. “There is still no syllabus or learning material for these languages in class IX. If a student has Sanskrit as a language in Class VIII and is promoted to class IX with Hindi as an additional language, from where should they start?”She added that the board should have rolled out the policy from Class VI as a fresh start and leave students in higher classes out of it.

“Moreover, the orientation of parents has already taken place in April, and then in May and June, different guidelines are rolled out; this is creating a lot of confusion among the parents too,” the principal said.Parents echoed similar concerns, arguing that introducing a new language mid-session would overburden students already coping with academic pressure. “I understand the importance of learning Indian languages, but class IX is already very demanding for students.

They are under constant pressure because board exam preparation effectively begins from this stage, and many also start coaching for competitive exams.

Introducing an additional language at this point means extra classes, homework and examinations, adding to an already packed academic schedule,” said Dhiraj, whose son studies in Class IX at a private school in Noida.CBSE has said dedicated textbooks for 22 scheduled Indian languages will be made available through NCERT.

The board has also announced exemptions for children with special needs, CBSE schools located outside India, and foreign students returning to India. Students whose parents migrate to another state will be allowed to continue with their existing language combination, with schools required to provide the necessary academic support.To help schools implement the policy, CBSE has allowed flexible staffing arrangements, including the use of current teachers, retired teachers, postgraduate instructors, inter-school teacher sharing through Sahodaya clusters, and virtual or hybrid teaching.