MANGAALURU: The Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) decision to make two Indian languages compulsory from Class IX has effectively pushed foreign languages such as French, Spanish, and German out of classrooms, triggering panic among parents, students, and school managements.
The May 15 CBSE circular mandating a three-language formula— two Indian languages and one foreign language— has forced several schools to ask students currently studying French or Spanish to switch to Kannada, Sanskrit, or another Indian language from the coming academic year. Many schools, which had introduced foreign languages from Class VI onwards, are now planning to discontinue them altogether.
St Joseph’s School, Bengaluru, which had planned to introduce French and Spanish this year following parent demand, has now put those plans on hold. The sudden change has hit students who have spent years learning foreign languages and children returning from abroad particularly hard. “My son has studied French for three years. How can he suddenly shift to Kannada or Sanskrit, which is completely alien to him?” asked the parent of a Class VIII student in Mangaluru.
In coastal Karnataka, where Kannada is not the primary spoken language in many homes, a significant number of students had opted for French instead of Kannada, usually pairing it with English and Hindi.
School managements said they are flooded with anxious calls from parents, with some even considering moving their children from CBSE to ICSE schools.
Principals pointed out that many schools had already begun Class IX classes and completed portions before the circular was issued, leaving students caught midway through the academic year. Fr Johnson Sequeira, Principal of Lourdes Central School, admitted the transition would be difficult for students who had studied foreign languages for years. He said schools and parents have petitioned CBSE seeking exemption at least for the current batch of Class IX students.
Fr Rohan D’Almeida, principal of St Aloysius Gonzaga School, said the rule would severely affect students returning from the Middle East, Canada, the US, and the UK, many of whom are unfamiliar with Kannada, Hindi, or Sanskrit.
He said that several CBSE students plan to pursue higher education abroad, where knowledge of French or Spanish can be an advantage. “If foreign languages are sidelined, students may lose that edge,” he said.
Students can technically continue French or Spanish as a fourth language, but schools fear that would overload them and affect performance in science and mathematics.
Private school associations are now considering legal options and are hopeful that the court may stay the implementation of the rule, citing an earlier Karnataka High Court ruling that upheld parents’ right to choose the language of instruction for their children while striking down the Karnataka government’s attempt to make Kannada compulsory.
This story is reported by Vincent D’ Souza