The Supreme Court has questioned the Central Board of Secondary Education's use of the term “non-native” for English in its three-language scheme for Classes 5 and 6. The court asked whether English, given its long use in India and official status in several States, could be treated as an Indian or indigenous language.
The case is significant for school education policy because it combines language rights, curriculum design, and administrative feasibility. The matter also has UPSC relevance because language policy often raises questions of federalism, cultural identity, educational equity, and implementation capacity.
What happened in court
The Supreme Court issued notice on the challenge to the CBSE policy and fixed the next hearing for July 22. Petitioners argued that the policy is premature because schools do not yet have enough textbooks and teachers to deliver the model effectively.
The petitioners also argued that the CBSE cannot realistically supply teaching capacity for 22 languages across the system. The dispute therefore is not only about language choice but also about whether the proposed curriculum can be implemented on the ground.
CBSE and NCERT position
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