| CBSE’s three-language policy sparks concerns over timing, logistics | | | Early Times Report
New Delhi, May 17: Concerns have been raised over the implementation of the CBSE’s three-language policy for Class 9 by a section of educationists and parents who have questioned the timing of the changes and the preparedness of schools, as the academic session is already well underway.
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Friday made three languages, including at least two native Indian languages, compulsory for Class 9 students from July 1 this year, even as schools had already begun classes and unit tests for the new academic session.
Mount Abu School Principal Jyoti Arora termed the implementation “very sudden”. She also said greater clarity was needed on the status of English within the policy framework to ensure smooth implementation. Though the three-language formula introduced by the CBSE is in sync with the National Education Policy, “which is a very progressive document”, its implementation after the academic session had already begun has created “a sense of restlessness” among stakeholders, Arora told PTI.
Roji Devi, mother of a Class 9 student, said, “My son has opted for French as the second language with English as the first language in one of the top schools in Delhi. Unit tests for both English and French for 40 marks have been completed and suddenly he has to leave one of these two under the new CBSE guideline.”
“Why has CBSE issued these guidelines just now, after 45 days into the new session? You are allowing something first and saying two months later that you can’t do it. Had the CBSE issued the guidelines in March, we would have prepared or even looked for other options. Isn’t democracy about informed choices? Isn’t the CBSE’s decision arbitrary?” she said.
A key shift in the curriculum is the classification of English as a foreign language, with the Board allowing only one foreign language within the three-language framework. This could restrict students from choosing both English and another foreign language as their second and third languages.
“My daughter had taken French as her third language from Class 6, and she was clear that in Class 9 she would continue with English and French. She never focused much on Hindi because students earlier had the flexibility to choose any two languages in Classes 9 and 10,” said Tina Singhal, parent of a Class 9 student. |
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