'Why burden students before boards': Supreme Court questions CBSE's three-language policy
PTC News Desk: The Supreme Court on Wednesday questioned the introduction of a third language from Class 9 under the CBSE curriculum, saying it could place unnecessary academic pressure on students just before their Class 10 board examinations.
Hearing Tamil Nadu's appeal against a Madras High Court order on the establishment of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) in the state, the Bench also said the National Education Policy (NEP) does not make Hindi compulsory as the third language and urged the Tamil Nadu government not to oppose the Centre's education policy simply because it was introduced by the Union government.
Justice B V Nagarathna said introducing a new language in Class 9 was "very bad" as students are already under pressure while preparing for their board exams. She also pointed out that the NEP only requires students to study the state language, English and any one additional language, not necessarily Hindi.
The respondent NGO's counsel told the court that the NEP clearly states that no language should be imposed on any state.
The Bench further observed that while states are free to have their own education system, they should not prevent the functioning of central government schools. It also noted that talks between the Centre and the Tamil Nadu government over setting up Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas are still ongoing.
The court said the discussions could lead to a solution, especially after the recent change in the state's leadership, and indicated that it would consider the legal issues only if those talks fail.
- With inputs from agencies
