Tamil Nadu BJP leader K Annamalai on Tuesday criticised the recent Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) notification making a third language compulsory for Class 9 students in schools affiliated with the board, saying the move would place an undue academic burden on students. He urged the Union Education Ministry to withdraw the notification, which has come under criticism in Tamil Nadu as an alleged attempt at Hindi imposition.
The circular, issued by the CBSE on May 15, announced a major shift in its language policy for Classes 9 and 10. According to the notification, starting July 1 this year, Class 9 students in the 2026-27 academic session will have to study three languages as part of their curriculum in all CBSE-affiliated schools. However, there will be no Class 10 board exam for the third language.
In a post on X, Annamalai said that while he was one of the very early proponents of the three-language rule for Class 6 students, he highlighted the distress that the earlier-than-expected implementation of the same framework for Class 9 students has caused to students and parents, especially in Tamil Nadu.
“In April 2026, when the CBSE announced that three languages for Class VI students shall be made compulsory and 2 of the three languages shall be native to India, I was one amongst many who welcomed this decision that allows Children to learn multiple languages from a young age, which would help them to broaden their understanding of India’s diverse literary landscape. In the very same notification released in April 2026, it was explicitly mentioned that the Third language for Class IX children studying in CBSE schools will be made compulsory only from the Academic year 2029-30, which is 3 years from now. However, on 15th May 2026, the CBSE sent a notification to all affiliated schools introducing the third compulsory language for Class IX students from this academic year, rolling back its previous commitment to make it compulsory only from the academic year 2029-30,” Annamalai said in his tweet.
Source: India Today
