Prateek Tanmay
3 min readBengaluruJun 29, 2026 05:38 PM IST
Hours after CBSE issued fresh guidelines on implementing its three-language policy, a Karnataka school forum said Monday that the clarification failed to resolve a key conflict between the Board’s mandate and the state’s law requiring Kannada to be taught as the first or second language.
The Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka, also known as KAMS, noted that, under the Kannada Language Learning Rules, 2017, students already study Kannada as either their first or second language. KAMS said the CBSE guidelines do not clarify how such students are expected to comply with the third-language requirement.
D Shashi Kumar, General Secretary, Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools in KAMS, said their apprehensions largely remained unaddressed. “The confusion still prevails. CBSE releases guidelines nationwide, but it needs to consider policies that states have adopted,” he added.
The CBSE issued guidelines over a month ago, stating that studying three languages, including at least two native Indian languages, has been made compulsory for Class 9 students beginning July 1. Since then, several students and parents have approached the court against the CBSE order.
Schools are unprepared
KAMS, a private body which represents over 5,000 unaided English schools in Karnataka, has written to the CBSE chairperson seeking clarity over its three-language policy rules.
“Students and parents continue to seek clarification from schools, which schools themselves are unable to provide in the absence of an official clarification from CBSE,” the letter said Saturday.
It said educational reforms cannot be implemented without adequate academic preparedness, adding that there is uncertainty over prescribed textbooks, their availability, language combinations, and examination methodology. The CBSE circular, it added, does not clarify how interstate migrant students are expected to comply in cases where Kannada is also being introduced as an additional compulsory language.
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“Students admitted for the present academic year have already opted for their language combinations. Parents have completed admissions relying upon the approved curriculum. Schools have prepared timetables. Teachers have already been appointed. Textbooks have already been purchased. Examinations have already been planned. A sudden implementation midway through the academic year would seriously prejudice students.”
Following evaluation errors in the CBSE examinations and the announcement of the three-language policy, many students in Karnataka opted out of the CBSE curriculum.
A few college heads told The Indian Express that the admissions have gone down by nearly 40 to 50 per cent.
Sandeep Pai S, Chairman, Bangalore Sahodaya Schools, an association of Bengaluru schools offering CBSE curriculum, confirmed the dip in admissions and said some students have quit after paying advance fees.
