Nagaland schools seek exemption from CBSE's compulsory third-language policy

The Nagaland Schools’ Alliance (NSA), comprising CBSE-affiliated schools in the state, has urged the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the Ministry of Education to grant Nagaland flexibility in implementing the compulsory third-language policy. The alliance said the requirement is difficult to implement due to the state's linguistic diversity, shortage of trained teachers, lack of study materials, and challenges faced by students who move between states.

In a letter sent to the Union education minister, the CBSE chairman, the Nagaland chief minister, and the state school education department, the NSA said the policy does not consider the state’s unique language situation and may put extra pressure on schools and students. The letter was signed by principals and school heads from several CBSE-affiliated schools in the state.

The letter highlights that Nagaland has more than 17 recognised tribes and many sub-tribes, each with its own language and traditions. They also said that classrooms often have students from different language backgrounds, making it hard to choose one common mother tongue for teaching.

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Schools flag implementation challenges

According to the letter, many schools are choosing Sanskrit as the third language because it is difficult to offer regional languages. However, the schools said Sanskrit is not very useful or culturally relevant for many students in the state. They also said it does not help in protecting local languages, which is an important goal of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

The school leaders also said there is a serious shortage of trained language teachers and a lack of proper textbooks and curriculum for many Naga languages. They added that schools with students from different tribal groups would need many language teachers to follow the policy, which is not affordable or practical for most schools.

The letter also raised concerns about children of transferable employees, such as defence and government staff, who may need to change their third language when moving to different states. The schools said this could disrupt their studies and create extra learning pressure.

The group also said that students learning foreign languages like French, German, and Spanish may be affected, along with teachers who teach these subjects. They added that this change could disrupt students’ learning and reduce job opportunities for language teachers.

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Schools seek flexibility for Naga languages

“The implementation of the CBSE third-language policy in Nagaland needs special attention because of the state’s unique language diversity. A flexible and practical approach, supported by CBSE and the government, is needed to ensure the policy helps promote local languages without putting too much pressure on schools and students,” the schools said in the letter.

The schools have made several demands, including a special exemption or flexible rule for Nagaland, inclusion of recognised Naga languages in the CBSE syllabus and exams, appointment of government-supported language teachers, creation of textbooks and digital learning materials, financial support for schools, and a system that allows students to continue the same language when they move to other states.

The alliance said it supports NEP 2020 and the promotion of multilingual education. However, it asked authorities to use a more practical approach that suits Nagaland’s language situation.