A new plea has been filed in the Supreme Court by educationist Fauzia Khan challenging the CBSE’s three-language policy for Class 9, calling the mandate arbitrary and contrary to the spirit of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
A fresh plea has been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the CBSE’s decision to implement a three-language policy for Class 9 students from July 1. The petition, filed by educationist and former Maharashtra minister Fauzia Khan, contended that the May 15 CBSE circular is arbitrary and unreasonable, adding that mandating Hindi or Sanskrit in non-Hindi-speaking states is contrary to the spirit of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
Petitioner’s Arguments
Khan, who belongs to the NCP-SCP party, said that while the CBSE circular itself acknowledges a shortage of language teachers, it nevertheless mandates implementation of the three-language formula. As a result, the petitioner said, the policy effectively compels schools in southern states to introduce Hindi and those in northern states to introduce Sanskrit, without providing any clear educational justification.
Policy Background and Previous Challenge
The apex court on May 27 had issued notice on a plea challenging the CBSE policy mandating the study of three languages. The CBSE, through a May 15 circular, made the study of three languages compulsory for Class 9 students from July 1, with at least two of the three languages required to be native Indian languages.
Students opting for a foreign language can do so only after studying two Indian languages or as an additional fourth language. The policy was introduced as part of CBSE’s alignment with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023. (ANI)
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