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CBSE’s three-language policy is misunderstood

A complete understanding of the three-language policy also requires looking beyond Classes IX and X.

Language policy in India rarely stays confined to the classroom. It touches identity, access, mobility, and the purpose of education itself. That is why the recent debate around CBSE’s three-language scheme has drawn such close attention. A careful reading of the policy trail suggests that the central issue is not whether India should value multilingualism. That question was substantially settled long ago. The real question is how a multilingual policy should be implemented in a way that is educationally sound, administratively fair, and publicly well understood. Seen in that light, CBSE’s recent move deserves a fuller and calmer reading than it has sometimes received. 

The first point is historical. The three-language formula did not begin with CBSE in 2026, or with the National Education Policy of 2020. It belongs to a much older attempt to reconcile India’s linguistic richness with national connectedness and modern educational aspiration. The broad framework can be traced to the Education Commission of 1964-66, which was subsequently reflected in the National Policy on Education, 1968. NEP 2020 did not invent the principle anew. It retained multilingualism as a core educational value, recasting it in more flexible and learner-centred terms. The current discussion, therefore, is not about a new idea suddenly entering Indian schooling. It is about a familiar idea entering a new stage of implementation. 

Let us closely see why this newer framing matters. NEP 2020 places a stronger emphasis on “promoting multilingualism and the power of language in teaching and learning.” It also stresses the educational importance of a familiar language. It states that, wherever possible, the medium of instruction should be the home language, mother tongue, local language or regional language at least until Grade 5, and preferably till Grade 8 and beyond. In policy terms, the underlying assumption is that comprehension, participation, and confidence are strengthened when children are educated in languages they know well. It further adds........

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