New Delhi, Aug. 21 -- The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to consider giving a one-time reprieve to students currently in Class 6 from the third-language requirement, so that they do not face a mandatory board examination in that language when they reach Class 10, while also protecting existing foreign-language combinations during the transition. The court also asked the CBSE to examine whether the third language should in fact be introduced from Class 6 or whether the implementation should begin from Class 3 or 4, while seeking a roadmap for ensuring adequate teachers, course material and other infrastructure before the policy is rolled out. A bench, comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana said that the concerns over the sudden implementation of the policy, preparedness of schools and availability of qualified teachers and learning resources warranted a reconsideration of the transition for the current Class 6 batch. The bench asked additional solicitor general Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the CBSE, to return with three clarifications -- whether the current Class 6 students could be given an additional academic year to decide and prepare for the third language; how adequate human-resource infrastructure and other resources would be created; and whether the starting point for the third language should be Class 6 or Class 3 or 4. "If the standard is six for you, give them a reprieve for the current sixth standard so that the issue of retrospective operation also gets obviated and their immediate issue gets resolved too," said the bench. The court also made clear that while it was not questioning the rollout of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, its implementation could not adversely affect students' rights. "With regard to the NEP, the roll out can be done and it is their discretion. However, that discretion doesn't have to impact the rights," remarked the bench, asking the CBSE to "go back to the drawing board" on the immediate application of the policy to Class 6 students. The court's intervention came amid petitions by parents challenging the CBSE's decision to introduce a three-language formula under which students are required to study three languages, with two being Indian languages. The CBSE's June 29 transitional guidelines had already provided relief to students in Classes 7, 8 and 9 who were already studying two non-native languages. Such students were permitted to retain their existing combination and add an Indian language as the third language. The additional language would be assessed through internal school-based assessment and would not have a CBSE Board examination when the students reached Class 10. However, the June 29 guidelines provided that students entering Class 6 in 2026-27 and subsequent batches would be subject to the policy in full. They would study three languages, of which at least two would be Indian languages, and would eventually take the Class 10 board examination in the third language. It is this immediate distinction between the current Class 6 batch and Classes 7-9 that the bench asked the CBSE to reconsider. Senior advocate Anand Grover, appearing for one of the petitioners, argued that the issue was particularly acute for Class 6 students because CBSE did not have statutory authority to frame the curriculum for Classes 6 to 8, which, he submitted, falls within the domain of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). He also stressed the need for qualified teachers, pointing out that Indian languages would have to be taught from the basics while Class 6 students would already be expected to deal with more complex words and sentences. The bench, however, emphasised the importance of learning Indian languages and questioned the reluctance to introduce an additional language. "Learning any new language is a big asset and invaluable. There is no compulsion for examination, why should there be a reluctance? And there is no embargo for you to continue with the foreign language," it observed. At another point, the bench said it was "something good for the nation that children learn different Indian languages" and asked, "What can be the harm if a person North India chooses to learn a language from South India." It also cautioned against treating Indian regional languages as inferior merely because they may not offer the same perceived employment opportunities as foreign languages....