India, May 17 -- A new Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) mandate requiring Class 9 and 10 students to study three languages has drawn criticism from Opposition leaders.

The new framework makes it mandatory for students to study three languages, R1, R2 and R3, with at least two of them required to be national. The third language will be internally assessed by schools and not through the class 10 board examination.

This decision has led to sharp reactions, particularly from Tamil Nadu, where opposition to the three-language formula has a long political history.

DMK leader TKS Elangovan said Tamil Nadu would not accept any change to its long-standing two-language system. "They cannot change the system followed in Tamil Nadu. The...