Annamalai urges Centre to roll back CBSE notification on compulsory third language for Class IX students

Senior BJP functionary K. Annamalai on Tuesday (May 26, 2026) urged the Union Ministry of Education to withdraw a notification issued by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to all affiliated schools, making a third language compulsory for Class IX students from this academic year, instead of from the 2029-30 academic year as previously announced.

“This [the notification dated May 15] has come as a shock to many parents, especially those from Tamil Nadu, as their children have already selected their language of choice in Class VI, and now the revised notification mandates that Class IX students learn three languages, two of which are native to India, with effect from 1 July 2026,” Mr. Annamalai said in a social media post.

The former president of the BJP’s State unit further said: “Expecting a Class IX student to learn a new language in a short time will only put pressure on children and affect their overall learning outcomes. I request the Ministry of Education to roll back this notification immediately and stick to the previous commitment to introduce the learning of three languages, two of which shall be native Indian languages, for Class IX, from the academic year 2029-30.”

Mr. Annamalai recalled that when the CBSE announced in April 2026 that three languages would be made compulsory for Class VI students, with two of them required to be native Indian languages, he was among those who welcomed the decision, saying it would help children learn multiple languages from a young age and broaden their understanding of India’s diverse literary landscape.

He pointed out that the same notification issued in April 2026 had explicitly stated that the third language requirement for Class IX students in CBSE schools would come into effect only from the 2029-30 academic year, three years later.

“However, on 15 May 2026, the CBSE sent a notification to all affiliated schools, introducing the compulsory third language for Class IX students from this academic year, rolling back its previous commitment to make it compulsory only from the academic year 2029-30,” Mr. Annamalai said.