The Union government has told the Supreme Court that English cannot be treated as a ‘native’ language under its three-language formula - a seemingly semantic argument with massive logistical consequences. The case, now adjourned to September 17 after Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta sought time for ASG Aishwarya Bhati, exposes the fault line between policy ambition and ground reality.
At stake is the CBSE’s attempt to enforce a mandatory third language till Class 10, culminating in a Board exam by 2031. The current Class 6 batch is the first to face full implementation; Classes 7-9 have been exempted. Parents, as senior advocate Anand Grover told the court, are anxious - and for good reason. The court itself asked three uncomfortable questions: Can a one-time reprieve be given? Where will teachers come from? And should the scheme start earlier?
This is the NEP 2020’s core dilemma in miniature. The Centre wants linguistic decolonisation, but CBSE, an English-medium dominated system, lacks teachers for Tamil in Ghaziabad or Malayalam in Meerut. Asking a Class 6 student in 2026 to prepare for a 2031 third-language Board paper without infrastructure is policy by fiat. The court’s suggestion - exempt Class 10 and streamline implementation - is pragmatic. The Centre’s ideological stand that English is not ‘native’ may play well politically, but in classrooms, English remains the currency of mobility. You cannot dismantle that with a circular.