The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to grant a one-time exemption from its mandatory three-language policy to students currently enrolled in Class 6.
An interim order passed by a bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant emphasised that the decision was taken to extend the same “comfort” and transitional relaxations already afforded to students in Classes 7, 8, and 9.
The bench noted that introducing structural curriculum shifts midway through an academic calendar creates avoidable psychological and logistical burdens on young children.
During the proceedings, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the CBSE alongside Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, submitted that nearly 99% of the 28,000-odd affiliated schools had already adopted the framework with necessary books and teachers.
The Board initially argued that exempting the current cohort could create minor learning continuity gaps under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework (NCF-SE) 2023.
However, the court emphasised that the goal is a smooth transition rather than penalising students with sudden changes. It clarified that this does not permanently block the CBSE scheme, suggesting instead that full implementation for Class 6 can be phased in during later academic years.
The main petitions challenging aspects of the policy and the classification of English will be taken up for detailed hearing in six weeks.
