Chennai: In a surprising move, former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president K Annamalai on Tuesday opposed the BJP-led Union government's three-language policy, demanding that the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) withdraw its recent notification on the matter.
Annamalai's Stand on CBSE Notification
Taking to social media platform X, Annamalai stated that the CBSE notification issued on May 15 violated its previous announcements regarding the three-language policy. He highlighted that in April 2026, the board had explicitly mentioned that the third language for Class IX students in CBSE-affiliated schools would be made compulsory only from the academic year 2029-30. However, the May 15 notification directed schools to introduce the third compulsory language for Class IX students from the current academic year itself.
Concerns Over Student Pressure
Annamalai argued that expecting a Class IX student to learn a new language in a short period would only increase pressure on children and adversely affect their overall learning outcomes. He emphasized that such a sudden change could disrupt the educational process and cause undue stress among students.
Previous Support for Three-Language Policy
In April 2026, the CBSE had announced that three languages would be compulsory for Class VI students, with at least two of them being native Indian languages. At that time, Annamalai had welcomed the decision, stating that allowing children to learn multiple languages from a young age would help them broaden their understanding of India's diverse literary landscape. However, the recent notification has prompted him to take a contrary stance.
The development has sparked discussions on the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) and its impact on students across the country.
