The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has rolled out a revised language policy for Classes 9 and 10 from the 2026–27 academic session, bringing its school curriculum in line with the objectives of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023.
Since the news went out, parents and educationists were concerned over the CBSE’s decision, with critics questioning both the timing of the rollout and the preparedness of schools midway through the academic session. The move has triggered apprehension among stakeholders as schools had already begun the academic year and conducted unit tests before the new guidelines were issued.
'Mid-Session Change Adds Pressure’
Parents have voiced concerns, saying the move comes at a time when students are already under intense academic pressure.
Dr Shweta Nangia, one of the parents of class 9 student, said students entering Class 9 begin preparing for Class 10 board examinations from the very start of the academic session, making it one of the most demanding stages in school life. According to her, adding another compulsory language would only increase stress for students already coping with a heavy syllabus, internal assessments and daily academic expectations.
Sharda Lal echoed similar concerns, noting that schools had initially informed parents that the revised language policy would apply only to students beginning from Class 6 and not the current Class 9 batch. She said the sudden implementation, after nearly two months of classes and unit tests, had created uncertainty among students and parents alike.
Parent Payal also said Grade 9 is a crucial phase when students begin shaping their academic and professional futures while simultaneously dealing with adolescent pressures. She said introducing major academic changes at this stage could lead to confusion, emotional stress and additional burden ahead of board examinations.
"As a parent, I sympathize with the rationale behind the new three-language policy for Grade 9 students, yet I worry more about my child’s actual schooling experience and their career goals. By the end of Grade 9, students have arrived at many decisions both academic and professional. It is a time where students are starting to establish their future. Any major shifts in this area create stress and confusion as they are already going through the many changes of being an adolescent," Payal said.
All three parents stressed that students at this level are already balancing academics, co-curricular activities and career planning, and warned that compulsory language additions could negatively affect focus on core subjects and overall well-being.
'Why Now?'
Nangia questioned the timing of implementing the policy. She said, "We have been hearing this for many years and we know that 9th class is running up to 10th boards. The preparation starts from 9th, the way you write your answers, the way the marking is done, the way you study, everything is running up to 10th boards. So even if we have to give boards next year, we are already under pressure from the first day we entered the class. No one is generating or putting that pressure on us, but already we are under pressure."
"Class 9 is a very heavy class where you know the subjects are segregated there is a lot of syllabus to cover and and so my son is learning french for example and he was apart from everything that is mandatory he was enjoying the language. For example, two native languages, just cramming them in one, one and a half years to write in an exam is no way that he comes closer to his culture. There is no knowing two languages is like, I'm not able to understand why and why now?" She added.
‘Why Make It Mandatory?’
Another major concern raised by parents was the lack of flexibility in language selection under the revised policy.
Dr Shweta Nangia said her son had been studying French for several years and had developed a genuine interest in the language. She questioned why students should be forced to adopt another language, such as Sanskrit, midway through their academic journey when they had already invested years learning a language of their choice.
Similarly, Sharda Lal said her child had studied German for the past three years and planned to continue it in Class 9 with future educational opportunities in Germany in mind. She argued that forcing students to switch languages at this stage could disrupt long-term academic plans and extracurricular activities, including sports.
"My child was also looking at future study opportunities in Germany, and continuing German was an important part of that academic plan. Class 9 is a crucial stage where students are preparing for future career choices and the new Board Examination pattern of 2028. Additional uncertainty and pressure at this stage affect their ability to focus on core subjects like Science and Mathematics," Sharda said.
Sharda further added, "We sincerely request that the current Class 9 students be allowed to continue with the language options chosen at the beginning of the session. Learning a new language like Sanskrit will definitely need extra time and effort that needs to be put in by the child. And what happens to their sports interests in between all these extra subjects."
Payal also said her daughter had opted for German after dropping Hindi, not out of disregard for Indian languages, but as part of long-term plans for higher education abroad. She said learning German required years of effort and consistency, and mandatory changes now would undermine the progress students had already made.
The parents maintained that they were not opposed to multilingual learning itself, but felt the policy should either remain optional or be introduced gradually from lower classes rather than being imposed on current Class 9 students midway through the session.
'Educationists criticise timing and additional burden'
Educationist and career counsellor Keshav Aggarwal said the biggest concern surrounding the CBSE’s revised three-language policy is not the idea itself, but the timing and manner of its implementation.
According to him, CBSE had earlier clarified through a circular issued in March that existing Class 9 and 10 students would continue under the current system, with the revised language framework expected to apply from lower classes. He said the sudden change midway through the academic session has created confusion among students, parents and schools.
Aggarwal pointed out that students entering Class 10 after already completing Class 9 under a different language structure would face major difficulties if introduced to a new language during a board examination year. Even if the additional language is not part of the final board evaluation, he noted that internal assessments, certification requirements and classroom workload would still consume students’ time and attention.
“You don't experiment in between. Logically, like, there isn't any academic session starts, you make a calendar, you give a circular, and that is how you go. And then they say this will not be tested in both something. Now parents are afraid that tomorrow you'll get a circular, no, this also will be a part of both, and you can take any best five or six in class 12, now students are being told in some schools that you have to opt for a 6th subject. Now this was never a mandatory thing. Now why are you making in 12th also a mandatory option for a 6th subject?” he said.
Keshav Aggarwal said Class 9 students are already managing a demanding academic structure that includes subjects such as advanced Mathematics and Science for those preparing for higher studies. Adding another compulsory language, he argued, could push the total number of subjects significantly higher and leave students with little time for extracurricular activities or personal development.
He warned that the additional academic burden may indirectly affect children’s physical and mental well-being, as students are already coping with homework, projects, coaching and performance pressure.
‘Policy Needs More Flexibility’
The educationist further questioned how the policy would work in transferable job families and linguistically diverse regions, particularly in the Northeast. He said students moving between states frequently may struggle to adapt if required to study different regional languages each time they relocate.
He also pointed out that several northeastern states do not have easy access to Hindi or Sanskrit teachers, making the implementation of the two-native-language requirement difficult in practice.
"And one problem which I don't know, this is not foreseen, entire free language policy and the transfer cases, it's for them. Mostly in government only, someone in Tamil Nadu will study a Tamil, he gets transferred to Kannada or Assam, then he starts Assamese or what? So how will they change this because they are transferable jobs, they have to keep going. So ultimately, I get the flexibility is given for such things. There may be transfer case apart from officers of any child. N number of reasons. So again, he's bound. So my take is again, you have not incorporated. So you go to North East. They don't have any language which fits in the schedule of CDSA," Keshav said.
He warned that without addressing practical challenges such as teacher availability, study material, regional diversity and student workload, the policy could create unnecessary pressure and even prompt some families to consider shifting education boards.
