New Delhi, 14 July. The Supreme Court has sought response from the Central government, National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and CBSE on two fresh petitions challenging the three language policy implemented by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) for Class 9 students. The court has directed all the parties to file their replies within 10 days. The next hearing of the case will be on July 29. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana heard the case on Tuesday. Senior advocates Anand Grover and Gopal Shankaranarayanan presented their arguments before the court on behalf of the petitioners. He raised many questions regarding the new language policy of CBSE and said that its implementation may create many practical problems for students, schools and teachers. The petitions challenge the CBSE policy under which the study of three languages has been made mandatory for Class 9 students. There is a provision in this that students will have to study at least two languages of Indian origin. The petitioners have argued that school resources, availability of language expert teachers and circumstances of students differ in different parts of the country. In such a situation, implementing a uniform language policy on all students can create many difficulties. The petitioners also raised concerns that many schools do not have adequate number of teachers available to teach additional languages. Apart from this, questions have also been raised regarding the availability of books and study material in the new language. He says that before implementing the policy, it is important to keep in mind the preparedness of the schools and the convenience of the students. The three language policy of CBSE has been brought under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 with the aim of promoting language education. The policy aims to expose students to Indian languages and promote multilingual education. The government believes that knowledge of more languages strengthens students’ intellectual development and cultural understanding. However, some states and education experts have already expressed concern about this policy. Opponents say that the language should be selected according to the needs of the students and the state. They argue that making any language compulsory may increase additional academic pressure on students. At present, the Supreme Court has not issued any interim order in this matter. The court has sought responses from the Central Government, NCERT and CBSE so that the views of all parties can be expressed. Now in the hearing to be held on July 29, it will be decided what further instructions the court gives in this matter. This matter regarding the language policy of CBSE has become an important issue related to the use of language in the education system and the choice of students. Now all eyes are on the next hearing of the Supreme Court.
Opposition to three language rule in schools, SC seeks answer
