Published May 26, 2026 | 5:17 PM ⚊ Updated May 26, 2026 | 5:41 PM
K Annamalai.
Synopsis: In a rare instance of dissent from within the BJP, the party’s former Tamil Nadu president, K Annamalai, said that though he had earlier welcomed the CBSE’s three-language policy, the Board decided to implement it in the academic year starting 1 July 2026, contrary to its statement that it would come into force only from the 2029-30 academic year.
Former Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai on Tuesday, 26 May, urged the Union Education Ministry to withdraw the recent CBSE circular mandating a third language for Class 9 students starting this academic year, saying the sudden move would place unnecessary stress on students and parents.
In a rare instance of dissent from within the BJP, Annamalai said in a statement that when the CBSE announced in April 2026 that students would have to study three languages from Class 6 onwards, with two of them being Indian languages, he had welcomed the move as it would help children understand India’s diverse literary and cultural heritage at an early age.
However, he pointed out that the April 2026 notification had clearly stated that the compulsory third-language requirement for Class 9 CBSE students would come into force only from the 2029-30 academic year.
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“Contrary to this earlier announcement, CBSE, through a fresh circular issued to all affiliated schools on May 15, 2026, has now made the third language compulsory for Class 9 students from the current academic year itself,” he said.
Annamalai said the sudden change came as a shock to parents, especially those in Tamil Nadu, since students had already chosen their preferred languages in Class 6.
According to the new circular, he noted, Class 9 students would now have to compulsorily study three languages, including two Indian languages, from 1 July 2026.
“It is unreasonable to expect Class 9 students to learn another new language within such a short period. This would create unnecessary mental stress for children and adversely affect their overall academic performance,” he said.
Annamalai, a 2011-batch Karnataka cadre IPS officer who resigned from service in May 2019, urged the Union Education Ministry to immediately withdraw the latest circular and implement the policy only from the 2029-30 academic year, as originally announced.
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The CBSE notification has been criticised in Tamil Nadu, alleging it was a move to impose Hindi on the state. In a circular issued on 15 May, the CBSE announced a major shift in its language policy for classes 9 and 10.
It made studying three languages mandatory for Class 9 students in all CBSE-affiliated schools from the academic year starting 1 July 2026.
Annamalai raised the demand even as a nationwide storm of criticism has been pounding the CBSE over the Class 12 results, leaving lakhs of students aghast.
Across social media platforms, thousands of students and parents have raised concerns over unexpectedly low marks, allegedly mismatched answer sheets, unreadable scanned copies, and technical failures linked to CBSE’s newly introduced On-Screen Marking system.
