CBSE big update: In a matter of good news for CBSE students, the Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the Centre to extend the exemption from the mandatory three-language policy to current Class 6 students.
The order aligns Class 6 pupils with existing relaxations granted to Classes 7, 8 and 9, ensuring they will not have to sit for a board examination in a third language upon reaching Class 10. The apex court deferred the mandatory implementation of the framework for this batch to the session starting April 2027. Here are all the details you need to know about what Supreme Court said on three-language policy.
What Supreme Court said on three-language policy?
According to CBSE’s June 29 statement, the current batches studying in Classes 7, 8 and 9 would not be required to give board examination in third language when they progress to Class 10.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the Centre and the CBSE, to grant the same relaxation granted to students of Classes 7, 8 and 9 to students of Class 6 this year.
“The Solicitor General has submitted that about 99 per cent of schools have adopted the third-language policy and have been provided the necessary facilities, and only about 1.2 per cent of the schools have not. In light of this, we direct that students of Class 6, like the students of Class 7, may be granted the same exemption as has been granted to students of Class 7,” the bench said in its order.
It posted the pleas for hearing after six weeks and asked the CBSE to file its reply affidavit within four weeks and rejoinder, if any, in two weeks after the reply is filed.
Big update for current batch of Class 7 and Class 8
The CBSE, in its statement, had said that for the current batch of Class 7 and Class 8, the students who have already selected and started “studying two non-native languages, need to study 01 additional Bhartiya Bhasha and continue the same till Class 10 Assessment”.
“The third language (R3) will be assessed by the school through an internal school-based assessment only. There will be no CBSE Board examination for this third language when these batches progress to Class 10,” the CBSE had said.
The apex court, by the order, on Monday asked the CBSE to accord the same benefits to the students of Class 6 this year.