Chennai: Former BJP state president and BJP leader K. Annamalai Tuesday criticised the Narendra Modi-led Union government’s decision to implement the three-language formula for class 9 students by 1 July, after the Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) recent notification making a third language compulsory from the current academic year.
He strongly urged the Union Ministry of Education to immediately withdraw the notification, calling it a sudden move that would impose “unnecessary mental stress” on children, particularly in Tamil Nadu.
While the three-language formula was to be applied from 2029-30, its sudden implementation has led to confusion among parents and students. In a post on X Tuesday, Annamalai highlighted the inconsistency in CBSE’s approach and its disproportionate impact on Tamil Nadu students.
He said he welcomed the idea of children learning multiple languages, as announced in April 2026, when the CBSE announced that three languages would be compulsory for Class 6, and two of the three would be Indian languages. However, he noted that the original April notification had clearly stated the third language would become compulsory for Class 9 only from the academic year 2029-30.
“However, on 15 May 2026, the CBSE sent a notification to all affiliated schools introducing the third compulsory language for Class 9 students from this academic year, rolling back its previous commitment to make it compulsory only from the academic year 2029-30,” he stated.
In April 2026, when the CBSE announced that three languages for Class VI students shall be made compulsory and 2 of the three languages shall be native to India, I was one amongst many who welcomed this decision that allows Children to learn multiple languages from a young age,… https://t.co/fBiDPjZhxg pic.twitter.com/LICAtI6Ydl
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) May 26, 2026
Annamalai emphasised the practical difficulties for Tamil Nadu students saying that this has come as a shock to many parents, as their children have already selected a language of choice in Class 6, and now the revised notification mandates that Class 9 students learn three languages, two of which are native to India, with effect from 1 July 2026.
“Expecting a Class 9 student to learn a new language in a short time will only pressurise children and affect their overall learning outcomes. I request the Ministry of Education to roll back this notification immediately and to stick to the previous commitment to introduce the learning of 3 languages, of which 2 shall be native Indian languages, for Class 9, from the academic year 2029-30,” he wrote on X.
The three-language formula was opposed as many CBSE schools in Tamil Nadu have a large number of students who have been studying Tamil and English, with a foreign language (such as French or German) as the third option. The sudden shift requiring two Indian languages has sparked confusion among parents ahead of the 1 July implementation.
Many parents and students have also approached the Supreme Court challenging the mid-session change, arguing that it burdens Class 9 students preparing for their board examinations. Tamil Nadu has traditionally followed a two-language formula (Tamil and English) at the school level and parents fear rushed implementation of the formula can potentially disrupt academic schedules.
Following the change of guard in the Tamil Nadu BJP unit, with Nainar Nagendran taking over as state president, Annamalai has distanced himself from active day-to-day party affairs in the state, stepping back from key organisational roles over the past year. He had also largely stayed away from the BJP’s campaign for the state polls held in April this year.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)