The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) announcement a one-time relaxation for students currently in classes 9, 8, and 7 from the three-language policy — which was rolled out through a circular dated May 15 — is welcome. It is also a moment for the board, with more than four million students enrolled in affiliate institutions, to rethink its hasty decision-making and make its policies more student-friendly. The May 15 circular — issued barely six weeks after CBSE unveiled a revised scheme of studies on April 2 envisaging phased implementation of the three-language formula starting from Class 6 in 2026-27, with full roll-out to Class 10 by 2030-31 — mandated that two of the three languages have to be “native Indian languages”. This put tens of thousands of students who had opted for two non-native languages in a bind and caused needless consternation. The partial relaxation helps ease that anxiety, but it also raises questions about the motivation for the sudden notification.The May 15 circular mandated that two of the three languages have to be “native Indian languages”. This put tens of thousands of students who had opted for two non-native languages in a bind and caused needless consternation. (HT Archive)This newspaper reported earlier that the May 15 circular defied a decision of CBSE’s own governing body, that implementation should wait until the NCERT released dedicated textbooks. Why, then, did CBSE rush through its implementation? Has there been any conversation on the added burden on students who will have to pass the third language in internal exams, even if they don’t face a board exam on the subject? In a fast-changing world, the salience of foreign languages is growing in both education and careers. Also, there are entrenched worries in southern India on the impact of the policy on provincial tongues. Against this backdrop, rolling out the contentious policy needs sagacity, cautious decision-making and wider consultations with students and teachers, not abrupt policies.