Digvijaya Singh Urges PM to Halt CBSE's Mid-Session Three-Language Policy Rollout

Senior Congress leader and Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Digvijaya Singh, has formally requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to put an immediate hold on the Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) mandatory three-language policy for Class IX students. The policy, scheduled for implementation from July 1, 2026, has drawn sharp criticism from Singh and a group of concerned parents due to its mid-session rollout without sufficient preparation. In a letter dated June 5, 2026, Singh highlighted that the sudden enforcement of the policy, particularly in the middle of the academic session, is likely to cause significant academic disruption for students. He drew a parallel to the chaos witnessed during the previous implementation of CBSE's On-Screen Marking (OSM) system, which adversely affected a large number of students nationwide. Singh's concerns are echoed by a representation received from parents of Class IX students who are opposing the mandatory introduction of a third language at this stage [3, 8, 10, 14, 24]. A significant point of contention is the apparent contradiction between the CBSE's circular mandating the policy from July 1, 2026, and a prior decision by its own Governing Body. In a meeting held in December 2025, the CBSE Governing Body had reportedly ratified a recommendation from its Curriculum Committee to continue with the existing scheme of studies concerning languages until the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) released graded textbooks for these languages. However, despite this decision, the CBSE issued a circular on May 15, 2026, directing schools to implement the third-language instruction for Class IX students from July 1 [3, 7, 8, 10, 14, 21]. Furthermore, Singh pointed out that the NCERT has not yet released the required graded textbooks for regional languages as envisioned under the National Curriculum Framework 2023. Instead, the CBSE has suggested schools use NCERT's Class VI language textbooks as an interim arrangement, which raises questions about the adequacy and suitability of these materials for Class IX students [3, 7, 8, 10, 14]. This lack of readily available, appropriate textbooks, coupled with an alleged shortage of qualified teachers for various languages, particularly Sanskrit, further exacerbates the implementation challenges [3, 8, 10, 14]. Singh also emphasized the particular difficulties that students in southern and northeastern states might face. In these regions, where Hindi is not widely spoken, and some local tribal languages may not be included in CBSE's recognized language list, the imposition of a third language could prove more challenging [3, 8, 10, 14]. The policy's implementation is further complicated by the fact that the issue is currently sub-judice, with a court verdict expected on July 15, 2026, which is after the date the policy is supposed to commence [8, 9, 10]. The three-language formula itself, a policy that has been in place in various forms since 1968 and was reaffirmed in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, aims to promote multilingualism and national integration. However, its implementation has historically been fraught with challenges, including political resistance, uneven adoption across states, and issues related to resources and teacher training [2, 4, 6, 11, 17, 18, 23]. The NEP 2020 emphasizes flexibility and no imposition of any language, with states and students having the choice, provided at least two languages are native to India [6, 11, 15, 18]. However, the practical challenges of recruiting specialized teachers for a wide array of languages and developing appropriate curriculum remain significant hurdles [22, 23]. In essence, Digvijaya Singh's appeal is a call to ensure that policy implementation is robust, well-resourced, and student-centric, avoiding the pitfalls of hasty execution that have marred previous CBSE initiatives and could jeopardize the academic future of millions of students.

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