Singh forwarded a signed representation from a group of concerned parents to the PM, calling the Three-Language Policy rollout mid-session “sudden” and “untenable.” The parents earlier wrote to Singh’s committee on June 5, requesting a full reversal of the mandatory policy for current Class IX students.

“The sudden enforcement of this policy mid-session– without adequate teachers, textbooks, or transition time– is likely to create serious disruption, not unlike the chaos witnessed during the hasty implementation of CBSE’s OSM system, which adversely impacted lakhs of students across the country,” Singh wrote in his letter to Modi.

The contradiction at the heart of the row is documented in CBSE’s own records. The board’s governing body in December 2025 endorsed a curriculum committee recommendation that schools “continue with the existing Scheme of Studies especially with regard to languages until the release of graded textbooks of languages by NCERT.” The committee noted that textbooks for regional languages envisaged under the National Curriculum Framework 2023 were not yet available.

The textbooks remain unreleased even today.

Despite the decision, CBSE issued a circular on May 15 directing all affiliated schools to make three languages, designated R1, R2 and R3, compulsory for Class IX from July 1.

“With effect from July 1, 2026, for Class IX, the study of three languages shall be compulsory, with at least two of them being native Indian languages,” the circular stated.

With no secondary-level material ready, the board asked schools to use Class 6 R3 textbooks as a stopgap, citing a claimed “75-80% overlap in core language competencies” between the two stages, a justification principals have openly questioned.

The May 15 directive also came in apparent contradiction of CBSE’s own phased rollout plan announced on April 2, barely six weeks earlier, which envisioned implementation beginning with Class 6 in 2026-27 and reaching Class 10 only by 2030-31.

Schools already acted on that framework, conducting language mapping exercises and communicating the changes to parents, with the clear understanding that higher classes would be brought in year by year. The sudden reversal left schools with almost no time to rework timetables, hire language teachers or source appropriate study material.

“Most schools have already implemented the three-language policy for Class 6. We were told it would be phased in gradually, especially because there was no change for Classes 7 to 10,” the principal of a Delhi school told HT, requesting anonymity.

Students already studied foreign languages as R2 till the summer vacation and appeared for periodic tests under the earlier framework before the May 15 circular altered the terms entirely.

“Sudden change in policy as per the CBSE circular on May 15 has put all of us in a dilemma. Students who studied a foreign language till Class VIII will now have to go for a native language in Class 9 for which books are not available and the curriculum has not been prescribed,” the principal said, adding that requiring Class IX students to use Class 6 textbooks would “dilute the competency and learning outcome.”

The parents’ representation, signed by CA Chandni Gupta, Pavan Puri, Sarah Paul and Puja Puri, flagged that thousands of students studied French, Spanish, German, Japanese and other foreign languages since Class 6.

The new requirement, they argued, would force them to abandon subjects in which they had invested years of effort and built genuine proficiency.

The representation also raised a pointed concern about English being reclassified as a foreign language under the new framework.

“English has all of a sudden been categorised as a foreign language, whereas we conduct business, provide professional services and do trade across the globe using the English language. English language had given our country and professionals an edge and still does,” the parents wrote.

The disruption is sharpest in southern and north-eastern states, where Hindi is not a first language and local tribal tongues often do not feature on CBSE’s recognised native language list.

Students in these states study English as their primary language alongside their mother tongue, and the requirement to choose two native Indian languages places them in a particularly difficult position.

Sanskrit has emerged as a default R3 option for many schools, but principals report a severe shortage of qualified teachers and appropriate textbooks, conditions that Singh noted would “defeat the very purpose of promoting this beautiful language.”

“We have a mix of multiple languages in our classrooms and we are left with teaching Sanskrit only. We cannot forcefully remove French and German teachers,” the principal of a private school in Gurugram told HT, requesting anonymity.

“There was no consultation with principals before the rollout. It was announced just a week before vacation. A lot of parents are thinking of shifting to other boards due to CBSE’s confusing policies,” the principal added.

Parents further argued that Class IX and X are critical board examination years and that adding a compulsory new language would directly reduce time available for other subjects.

“Students will have to clear internal assessment examinations in both Class 9 and Class 10 in order to be promoted. This will be an additional burden on the children,” the representation said, noting that NCERT textbooks for other Class 9 subjects were themselves provided long after sessions began and that the Social Science textbook is still not available.

The matter is already before the Supreme Court.

On May 27, a bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant agreed to examine a batch of petitions challenging the policy, observing there appeared to be “issues of hardship, inconvenience and logistical support” requiring immediate attention.

The lead petition was filed by 19 parents and teachers from Delhi, Gurugram, Noida and Chennai, arguing the May 15 circular marked a sudden reversal of CBSE’s stated position and disrupted academic planning already undertaken by schools and families. The matter will be heard in the second week of July.

Singh flagged the timing as untenable, noting the court verdict is due only on July 15, after schools are already meant to have begun implementation on July 1.

He urged Modi to put the policy on hold immediately for current Class IX students, allow those already studying foreign languages to continue without disruption, and ensure future language policy changes are introduced only from lower classes with adequate transition time. CBSE and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are yet to respond to Singh’s letter.