Chennai: Several CBSE schools are being pushed towards discontinuing foreign languages such as French, German and Spanish following the implementation of the three-language policy under the National Education Policy (NEP), school administrators said.

As per the NEP, the three-language formula has been introduced from Class 6 this academic year. It mandates the teaching of two Indian languages and one foreign language, with the mother tongue or regional language being compulsory up to Class 8.

Since only one foreign language is permitted, most schools are expected to opt for English, effectively sidelining other foreign languages, they said.

In Tamil Nadu, where the state government follows a two-language policy and has not adopted the NEP, CBSE schools alone are required to implement the three-language formula, leading to practical challenges.

School administrators said that in non-Hindi-speaking southern states, students may study regional languages such as Tamil, Telugu, Kannada or Malayalam along with Hindi as an additional Indian language. However, when it comes to foreign languages, English is likely to be the sole option.

They noted that CBSE schools already follow English as the medium of instruction and offer languages such as German, Spanish, French and Mandarin as optional subjects, for which trained teachers have been appointed.

With only English expected to feature in mark sheets under the revised framework, schools may not be able to charge fees for other foreign language courses, raising concerns over job losses for language teachers.

Even if students show interest in learning additional languages, schools may only be able to offer them as after-school programmes, increasing academic burden, they said.

Administrators also pointed out that the NCERT has developed textbooks in Hindi medium for various subjects, along with Sanskrit language materials, which they said could encourage a shift towards Hindi-medium instruction in northern states while relegating English to a foreign language.

They expressed concern that the Union Education Ministry is moving swiftly to implement the three-language policy across institutions.