The Supreme Court on Thursday (August 20, 2026) asked the Central Board of School Education (CBSE) to grant current Class 6 students a one-time reprieve from a mandatory third-language Board exam.
Since nearly all students choose English for that single slot, other foreign languages like French or Japanese are effectively pushed out of the main curriculum. A large number of students already studying French and Japanese have to choose a native language now… Another foreign language increases employment opportunities… These are children from middle- and lower-class homes we are talking about,” senior advocate Anand Grover explained. Under CBSE guidelines, students in Classes 7 to 9 were exempted, while the present Class 6 batch was slated to face full implementation, including a mandatory Class 10 Board exam in the third language by 2031.
“Because the policy mandates that students must study at least two native Indian languages, students are restricted to only one foreign language slot.
The court urged the Board to return to the drawing board to consider easing the policy into the curriculum, starting from earlier classes, giving students, families and schools “some elbow space”.
