New Delhi, July 16: The Supreme Court on Thursday expressed concern over the introduction of a third language from Class 9 under the CBSE curriculum. The court observed that the move could increase academic pressure on students and suggested introducing the language at an earlier stage instead.
A bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and R Mahadevan orally advised the Union Government not to introduce the third language from Class 9. Justice Nagarathna said students already face significant academic stress from Class 8 onwards and introducing another language at that stage would add to their burden.
She suggested that if a new language is to be introduced, it should begin in Class 5 or Class 6, when students are better placed to adapt to it. The bench also asked the Centre’s counsel to convey the court’s concerns to the government.
The observations came during the hearing of the Tamil Nadu government’s plea challenging a Madras High Court direction to facilitate the establishment of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) in every district of the State.
Tamil Nadu has consistently opposed the establishment of JNVs, citing concerns over the three language policy followed in these schools.
The bench clarified that it was not directly hearing the challenge to the CBSE’s new language policy. It only made observations regarding the stage at which a third language should be introduced.
Meanwhile, a separate Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant is hearing petitions challenging the CBSE’s new language policy. The bench recently declined to stay the notification.
Now you can get the latest stories from Indtoday on Telegram every day. Click the link to subscribe. Click to follow Indtoday’s Facebook page, Twitter, and Instagram. For all the latest Hyderabad News updates and Follow us on GoogleNews
