CBSE gets legal notice from SSS as private schools shun 3-language formula

NEW DELHI: After prompting the government to drop German as the third language in Kendriya Vidyalayas, the Sanskrit Shikshak Sangh (SSS) — the teachers’ association that dragged KVs to court — has trained its guns on private schools.
SSS served the Central Board of Secondary Education a legal notice recently for being unable to make its affiliated private schools follow the three language formula.Failing an appropriate response or action from the board, the association will approach the high court, SSS general secretary V Dayalu told ET. “It has been six months since the KVs stopped teaching German as the third language subject.
But students in many private schools continue to learn Spanish, French, German as the third language in classes VI, VII and VIII. The government cannot have a different approach for KVs and different one for private schools,” Dayalu added.
The three-language formula enshrined in the national education policy states that secondary stage students should also learn a modern Indian language apart from English and Hindi. The SSS had moved the Delhi HC in 2013, alleging that the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan’s decision to introduce German as a third language in place of Sanskrit was against this formula.
This eventually prompted the HRD Ministry to replace German with Sanskrit, which led to a diplomatic kerfuffle with German Chancellor Angela Merkel raising the matter with PM Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Brisbane last year.
CBSE’s acting chairman Satbir Bedi and secretary Joseph Emanuel were not available for comment. Government sources, however, told ET that the school Board will reiterate the three language formula to all private schools once a full-time chairman is appointed.
“This isn’t a battle between foreign languages and Sanskrit. We are okay with schools offering any modern Indian language as the third language subject. We just want CBSE to follow what it had stated in its affidavit in the high court. They should either follow the law or have it changed,” said Monica Arora, Supreme Court lawyers representing SSS.
Most private schools that ETspoke to did not want to comment on the issue unless the board breaks its silence. “While we have no objections following the law, schools should be given some time to implement this change. Dropping a language mid-session will not be acceptable,” said principal of a private school in South Delhi.