The Central Board of Secondary Education’s circular of May 15, 2025, marks a significant milestone in Indian education. From July 1, 2026, every Class IX student under CBSE will study three languages — R1, R2, and R3 — with at least two required to be native Indian languages. This is not a minor curriculum tweak.
It is a thoughtful and necessary rebalancing — a conscious effort to strengthen cultural roots while preparing students for global opportunities.
For decades, English dominated Indian classrooms as the language of aspiration, often at the cost of our rich linguistic heritage. Mother tongues were sidelined, and foreign languages were projected as markers of sophistication. The CBSE’s three-language policy corrects this imbalance with maturity. It places Indian languages at the foundation without rejecting English or global languages. This is precisely the kind of rooted yet forward-looking reform India needs today.
Science leaves no doubt: multilingualism strengthens the brain. It enhances memory, creativity, problem-solving ability, cognitive flexibility, and empathy. Children who learn their mother tongue alongside Hindi and English develop a more nuanced worldview and deeper cultural understanding. They inherit not just vocabulary but living civilisational memory — from Kabir and Tagore to Thiruvalluvar and Hijam Anganghal.
In Manipur, the three-language policy finds natural resonance and great promise. Our state is a linguistic treasure house with dozens of native languages — Meiteilon, Tangkhul, Rongmei, Anal, Paite, Thadou, Poumai, and many more. Each carries its own literature, traditions, and unique perspective.
In December 2022, former Chief Minister N. Biren Singh launched the “Two Months Local Language Training Programme” covering seven major languages to promote mutual understanding and harmony. The government also announced priority in state jobs for those proficient in multiple local languages. CBSE’s policy now complements and scales this visionary state initiative nationally.
Students in Manipur can confidently choose from this rich ecosystem while adding Hindi or English. Far from being a challenge, linguistic diversity here becomes a genuine national strength. Manipur is not an exception — it is a model worth emulating.
Practical challenges exist, particularly in regions like Puducherry where French forms part of living cultural identity. The policy handles this with sensitivity. Foreign languages can continue as the third language or as an optional fourth.
CBSE has also provided sensible exemptions for Children with Special Needs, international schools, and returning students. Teacher shortages and transition issues are real, but CBSE’s roadmap — faculty sharing, virtual classes, retired teachers, and enriched local literature — offers pragmatic solutions. After 75 years of colonial-era linguistic tilt, a period of thoughtful adjustment is both necessary and worthwhile.
A nation that values its own languages builds stronger identities and sharper minds. Multilingual Indians fluent in their mother tongues, Hindi, and English will have clear advantages in governance, healthcare, trade, diplomacy, and cultural expression. They will represent “Brand India” with authenticity and confidence.
The new three-language policy is not cultural chauvinism — it is cultural self-confidence. It does not close India to the world; it equips our children to engage the world proudly, on their own terms.CBSE’s Three-Language Policy: Rooted Education for a Confident India deserves widespread support.
Parents, educators, schools, and states must now work together for its successful implementation. The rewards — cognitively sharper, culturally rooted, and globally competitive young citizens — far outweigh the transitional challenges.
Our children, our languages, and our shared future call for this balanced vision.
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