The Associated Management of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka (KAMS) has opposed the Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) compulsory three-language policy, saying it conflicts with the state’s existing language law.In a legal representation submitted to the CBSE Chairperson, the association urged the Board to keep the circular on hold for the upcoming academic year until there is clarity on how it will be implemented in Karnataka. It has also sought an immediate clarification from the CBSE.KAMS said the Karnataka Language Learning Act, 2015 already makes Kannada compulsory as the first or second language in all schools, including those affiliated with the CBSE. According to the association, the new CBSE circular has created legal uncertainty, especially for schools where Kannada is already being taught as the first or second language.D Shashi Kumar, general secretary of the association, said: “Technically, it is impossible to implement Kannada as third language in CBSE schools. Moreover, CBSE should clarify whether English is a foreign language or a regional language. In our opinion, English should be considered as a regional language as it is extensively used in all walks of life ranging from judiciary to legislature.”KAMS has given the CBSE 15 days to respond. It said it will approach the High Court if the Board does not provide the requested clarification within the stipulated time.Meanwhile, CBSE on Monday issued detailed guidelines explaining how the third language policy will be implemented for students in different classes under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, announcing some exemptions.For students studying in Class IX during the 2026-27 academic session, the third language (R3) will be assessed only through an internal school-based assessment. There will be no CBSE Board examination for the third language when these students reach Class X in 2027-28. CBSE and NCERT will also provide grade-appropriate learning resources to help students study the language.As a relaxation, students in the current Class VII and Class VIII batches who have already chosen and started studying two non-native languages will only have to add one Bhartiya Bhasha and continue studying it until Class X. Like the current Class IX batch, the third language will be assessed through an internal school-based assessment, and there will be no CBSE Board examination for it.
