Don't Introduce Third Language In Class 9, It's Stressful To Students: Justice BV Nagarathna To Centre

Supreme Court judge Justice BV Nagarathna on Thursday expressed concern over the introduction of a third language at the Class 9 level under the CBSE curriculum, observing that it places unnecessary stress on students preparing for board examinations.The remarks were made during the hearing of the Tamil Nadu government's appeal against a Madras High Court direction to facilitate the establishment of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) in every district of the State. Tamil Nadu has consistently opposed the setting up of JNVs, citing concerns over the three-language policy followed by the schools.Although the validity of the CBSE language policy was not directly in issue in the case, Justice Nagarathna made a series of observations on the timing of introducing a third language. Notably, the CBSE three-language policy is presently under challenge in separate public interest petitions before a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant.